Bank of Japan Governor Toshihiko Fukui

The Bank of Japan kept its key interest rate unchanged at 0.50% as expected on Wednesday, less than twelve hours after the US Federal Reserve cut its key rate by 0.50% to 4.75%.

Japan's economy is the second biggest after the US economy.

While the Japanese central bank has been anxious to boost Japanese interest rates from current low levels, the current credit turmoil and the news in recent weeks that Japan's economy contracted in the second quarter, put the kaibosh on the plans.

The BOJ’s decision was supported all but one of its nine members, with Atsushi Mizuno, who had called for a rate hike in July and August, again calling for a rate increase.

Statement from the Bank of Japan today:

Japan's economy is expanding moderately.

Public investment has been sluggish. Meanwhile, exports have continued to increase, and business fixed investment has also continued to trend upward against the background of high corporate profits. Housing investment has fallen lately. Private consumption, however, has been firm in a situation where household income has continued rising moderately. With the rise in demand both at home and abroad, production has continued to be on an increasing trend, although it has been flat most recently.

Japan's economy is expected to continue expanding moderately.

Exports are expected to continue rising against the background of the expansion of overseas economies as a whole. Domestic private demand is likely to continue increasing against the background of high corporate profits and the moderate rise in household income. In light of these increases in demand both at home and abroad, production is also expected to follow an increasing trend. Public investment, meanwhile, is projected to be on a downtrend.

On the price front, the three-month rate of change in domestic corporate goods prices has been positive, mainly due to the rise in international commodity prices. The year-on-year rate of change in consumer prices (excluding fresh food) has been around zero percent.

Domestic corporate goods prices are likely to continue increasing for the time being, although the pace of increase is expected to slow. The year-on-year rate of change in consumer prices is expected to be around zero percent in the short run. From a longer-term perspective, however, it is projected to continue to follow a positive trend, as the output gap continues to be positive.

As for the financial environment, the environment for corporate finance is accommodative. Credit demand in the private sector has been more or less flat lately. However, the issuing environment for CP and corporate bonds has been favorable, and the lending attitudes of private banks have continued to be accommodative. Under these circumstances, the amount outstanding of lending by private banks has been increasing moderately, and the amount outstanding of CP and corporate bonds issued has been above the previous year's level. Funding costs for firms have risen slightly. Meanwhile, the year-on-year rate of change in the money stock is around 2 percent. As for developments in financial markets, in the money markets, the overnight call rate has been at around 0.5 percent, and interest rates on term instruments have fallen compared with last month. In the foreign exchange and capital markets, the yen's exchange rate against the U.S. dollar, long-term interest rates, and stock prices have been around the same level as last month.