The Bank of Japan announced on Wednesday that it would maintain its current stimulus measures and, if necessary, would conduct a new round of unlimited bond purchases to keep bond yields within its target range. "We will use that tool, of course, if we get into the same situation," BOJ governor Haruhiko Kuroda said. "It was an unusual situation when yields climbed somewhat rapidly, influenced by rising yields overseas," he added.
The comments came after pressure emerged on yields earlier this year. Undoubtedly, expectations of rate hikes in other countries complicated the task of the Bank of Japan as it planned to keep the rate on 10-year public debt around 0.25%. Other central banks, including the Federal Reserve, are already turning towards tighter policies to contain accelerating inflation.
Kuroda has repeatedly spoken about the impossibility of short-term policy adjustments, and on Wednesday, he said it is best to push ahead with monetary easing as Japan's inflation is only around 0.5%. Even so, the central bank does not appear to have completely stamped out speculation about possible policy adjustments. Economists at Natixis even said the BOJ will be unable to withstand a global bond crash and will face pressure that will force it to drastically change its policy control over the yield curve.