TOKYO—The Bank of Japan held monetary settings steady on Wednesday as it expressed concern over the potential impact global trade frictions could have on the Japanese economy.In a widely expected move,

The BOJ's decision comes just ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve's policy meeting, where the central bank is expected to keep its benchmark interest rate steady.

Following its third rate increase in January, the Bank of Japan held its key short-term interest rate steady at around 0.5% during its March meeting, as anticipated. The policymakers emphasized its fo

Japan's core inflation hit 3.0% in February and an index stripping away the effect of fuel rose at the fastest pace in nearly a year, a sign of broadening price pressure that reinforces market expectations of further interest rate hikes.

Japan’s consumer inflation slowed slightly in February due to energy subsidies but maintained the uptrend keeping interest-rate hike expectations intact.

Japanese inflation eased in February, government data showed Friday, with prices excluding fresh food rising 3.0 percent year-on-year in the world's fourth-largest economy.