- The Bank of Japan is anticipated to maintain its current interest rate at its upcoming meeting.
- Officials will assess the impact of December's rate hike and monitor the weakening yen's effect on inflation and consumer spending.
- The Bank of Japan has begun selling exchange-traded funds as part of its plan to reduce its asset holdings.

A: Hey Hana! Did you hear anything about the Bank of Japan lately?

B: Oh, hi Kenji! No, what’s up?

A: They're meeting this week, right? Seems like they’re not going to change interest rates just yet.

B: Really? They just raised them a little bit in December, didn’t they?

A: Yeah, it's still around 0.75%. They want to see how that change affects everyone. Businesses, families… everything.

B: I see. So they’re watching closely! What else are they talking about?

A: The yen is weak again. It's getting close to 160 yen to the dollar! That's really low.

B: Wow, that *is* weak. I’ve noticed things are getting a bit more expensive.

A: Exactly! They’re worried the weak yen will make inflation even worse and people will spend less.

B: That’s not good! Are they doing anything to help?

A: They actually started selling some investments today. It's part of their plan to slowly reduce all the money they put into the economy before.

B: Oh, so they’re trying to balance things out?

A: Yep. They also expect the economy to grow a little more, thanks to some new government plans.



B: Interesting! Thanks for the update, Kenji!