Bank of Japan

The yen weakened against the euro and the dollar after the Bank of Japan decided to maintain its ultraloose monetary policy.
Currencies

Yen plunges to lowest in over 14 years against euro after BOJ decision

Bank of Japan stands pat ahead of another expected ECB rate hike

29 April 2023
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks after chairing his first meeting on April 28 in Tokyo. (Photo by Shinya Sawai) 
Bank of Japan

BOJ's Ueda underlines easing side effects, but preaches patience

Central bank keeps easy monetary policy unchanged in Ueda's debut; will conduct review

28 April 2023
Kazuo Ueda took over as governor of the Bank of Japan in April. (Photo by Uichiro Kasai)
Bank of Japan

BOJ to review a quarter century of unconventional easing measures

With Ueda now Japan's top central banker, six tools to get a closer look

22 April 2023
Hedge funds and private equity companies are coming to Japan because 'things around the world are expensive,' analysts say. (Source photos by Getty Images, Mizuho Miyazaki and Shinya Sawai) 
Market Spotlight

Warren Buffett leads global investors into 'cheap' Japan

Hedge fund billionaires Ken Griffin and Steve Cohen build up operations in Tokyo

17 April 2023
Changing the Bank of Japan's yield curve control policy could cause a chain of spillover effects in markets, the International Monetary Fund warned.
Bank of Japan

Communication a must if BOJ opts to change course: IMF official

Tobias Adrian expects Ueda to stand pat, but high inflation could prompt a shift

15 April 2023
The Bank of Japan could move to end its negative interest rate policy next fiscal year if the conditions are right, a Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group exec says.
Interview

BOJ may end yield curve control by September: MUFG markets chief

Central bank could lift negative rate policy next fiscal year, says Hiroyuki Seki

12 April 2023
Kazuo Ueda spoke to reporters as Bank of Japan governor for the first time on April 10. (Photo by Uichiro Kasai)
Bank of Japan

Marathon, not sprint: 4 takeaways from new BOJ head's briefing

Ueda steps back from talk of policy tweaks amid banking turmoil

11 April 2023
The Bank of Japan under new governor Kazuo Ueda should stick with its 2% inflation target, says William Dudley, former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. (Photo by Hideyuki Miura)
Interview

BOJ 2% inflation goal 'reasonable' for Ueda to keep: ex-N.Y. Fed chief

Dudley 'cautiously optimistic' about Kuroda's easing but says 'premature' to judge

11 April 2023
New Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda commits to maintaining the unconventional monetary policy of the last 10 years.
Bank of Japan

New BOJ chief Ueda backs ultraeasy policy as he takes helm

Governor says Japan has green shoots for sustained inflation

10 April 2023
Then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, right, trusted Haruhiko Kuroda to steer monetary policy even amid setbacks. (Photo by Masaru Shioyama)
Bank of Japan

Kuroda's exit means BOJ's honeymoon with government is truly over

New central bank chief Ueda faces reckoning on decade of extreme monetary easing

8 April 2023
After a decade in office, Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda on April 7 speaks at his final news conference before stepping down.
Bank of Japan

Kuroda lays groundwork for eventual BOJ tightening

In final news conference, governor says 2% inflation target in sight

7 April 2023
The Bank of Japan has been conducting technical tests on the digital yen since 2021.
Bank of Japan

Japan weighs forming digital yen feasibility panel in April

Committee will examine benefits of currency based on BOJ pilot program

30 March 2023
Japan's Finance Ministry worries about the smooth functioning of JGB markets, a key underpinning of fiscal policy.
Finance

Japan Finance Ministry gives rare nudge to BOJ amid bond worries

With change in offing, official stresses Kuroda remark on 'dialogue with markets'

28 March 2023
The Bank of Japan has been trying to discourage short selling of Japanese government bonds.
Bonds

Japanese bond purchase by overseas investors hits weekly record

BOJ efforts to curb short selling help push yield to 3-month low

25 March 2023
Incoming BOJ Gov. Kazuo Ueda during a Diet hearing on Feb. 24: He can forget tapering the balance sheet when he arrives on the job next month.
Opinion

Crumbling Western banks will be new worry for Ueda at BOJ

Like Silicon Valley Bank, many Japanese lenders have piled into bonds

23 March 2023
In "The Price of Time: The Real Story of Interest," author Edward Chancellor brings the potentially dry subject of interest rates to life with a wealth of anecdotes and walk-on characters both famous and obscure. (Nikkei montage/Photos by Grove Atlantic and Edward Chancellor)
Books

Book review: The funny business of central banks and money supply

'The Price of Time' comes as incoming BOJ Gov. Kazuo Ueda in celebrity spotlight

20 March 2023
The BOJ's huge paper loss on its bond holdings will make monetary policy navigation difficult.
Bank of Japan

BOJ's paper loss on bond holdings spikes tenfold

Hit to Japan central bank's assets grows to $71bn as yield cap is raised

18 March 2023
Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda's tenure was marked by a string of policy decisions that caught market players off guard.
Comment

Kuroda's surprise-filled tenure at BOJ comes to quiet close

Ueda's challenge: fixing communication breakdown between bank and markets

13 March 2023
Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda speaks during a press conference on March 10 in Tokyo. (Pool photo)
Bank of Japan

BOJ's Kuroda calls aggressive easing a 'success,' urges continuation

Board decides to keep ultra-loose policy after Ueda approved as next gov.

10 March 2023
The BOJ is trying to curb short-selling of government bonds as it faces difficulty in maintaining its yield curve control.
Bank of Japan

BOJ's move to curb bond short-selling is working, with side effects

Brokerages have hard time procuring bonds as supply dries up

8 March 2023
Investors are starting to see Japanese government bonds in a more positive light. (Photo by Masaru Shioyama)
Bonds

Japan's top banks bide time on bonds, with eye on BOJ

Mizuho, Sumitomo Mitsui and others watch for possible end to yield curve control

5 March 2023
From left to right, former Bank of Japan Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa, current Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda and nominee Kazuo Ueda. (Source photos by Nikkei)
Bank of Japan

Great monetary experiment? BOJ's decade of easing draws scrutiny

Incoming chief faces balancing act as experts question policy's merits

3 March 2023
Shinichi Uchida, left, and Ryozo Himino, candidates for deputy governor of the Bank of Japan, at a hearing in the House of Councilors on Feb. 28.
BOJ confirmation hearings

BOJ deputy chief nominees say monetary easing must continue

Uchida, Himino say central bank addressing side effects at upper house hearing

28 February 2023
Kazuo Ueda, the government's nominee to lead the Bank of Japan, answers questions in his second parliamentary confirmation hearing on Feb. 27. (Photo by Uichiro Kasai)
BOJ confirmation hearings

BOJ nominee Ueda declines to commit to permanent easing

Would-be governor says positives of ultraloose policy 'outweigh negatives'

27 February 2023
The approval rating of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's cabinet has topped 40% for the first time in four months.
Politics

Kishida cabinet's approval rating climbs to 43%: Nikkei poll

Government pick for next Bank of Japan chief backed by 48%

27 February 2023