At the conclusion of its September 1819 meeting, the Bank of Japans Monetary Policy Committee decided on Thursday morning to keep interest rates unchanged at 0.50%, the highest level since 2008, in line with most global market expectations. This marks the fifth consecutive meeting with no policy change.

The vote result showed seven members in favor of leaving the short-term interest rate unchanged, versus two members who voted for a 25-basis-point hike.

This vote is positive for the Japanese yen.