Even before Japanese voters returned Shinzo Abe’s party to power, he had already won over financial markets with an economic revival plan as seductively simple as economists say it is risky: print money and spend it.

Japan’s central bank has ended its latest policy meeting with no change in the country’s key interest rate, resisting government pressure for further easing.

THE Bank of Japan (BOJ) raised its main interest rate yesterday by a quarter percentage point to 0.50%, the highest in more than a decade, but the yen retreated as the central bank signalled caution on further increases.

The Bank of Japan has raised its main interest rate by a quarter percentage point to 0.5%, the highest in more than a decade.

JAPAN’S central bank raised interest rates for the first time in six years yesterday, lifting its key rate to 0.25% from 0% and affirming the end of a long era of deflation and economic stagnation.

The Bank of Japan has upgraded its economic assessment for the first time since December because of signs that an export-led recovery is spreading to consumers and service companies.

Japanese data this week will be sidelined by concerns over the release of policy announcements on Wednesday covering plans to speed up non-performing loan resolution and implement anti-deflation measures.

Japan’s central bank today decided to guide down interest rates to near zero amid growing alarm about the country’s economic woes both at home and abroad.

TOKYO (AFX-ASIA) - Share prices closed lower in line with the steep falls on NASDAQ Friday, but were well off their lows near the close on positive comments from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Shizuka Kamei, dealers said.