Bank of Japan policymakers had no Christmas surprise for financial markets in their final meeting of the year.

The central bank said it will leave its ultra-easy monetary policy unchanged after the two-day meeting ended on Tuesday. The vote among policymakers was unanimous.

The bank will maintain a negative short-term interest rate. It will also continue asset purchases to keep long-term rates "around zero percent".

The BOJ said it's maintaining what it calls an "upper bound" of 1 percent for 10-year government bond yields as a reference for its market operations.

In late October, the bank increased the flexibility of its so-called Yield Curve Control monetary tool on the long-term rate.

The move added flexibility to the 1 percent threshold for 10-year bond yields, rather than regarding it as a rigid cap.

The BOJ is sticking with its easy policy course despite consumer inflation hovering above the central bank's 2 percent target for 19 straight months through October.

The central bank has repeatedly maintained its current monetary policy aims to achieve sustainable and stable price gains led by stronger wage growth.

The next focus for investors is the news conference by BOJ governor Ueda Kazuo later on Tuesday. His comments will be closely monitored for any indication of policy shifts in the coming year.