New Delhi, March 18 -- Bank of Japan interest rate decision: Against the backdrop of a full-scale war in the Middle East, rising crude oil prices, and increasing risks of an inflation flare-up, the Bank of Japan (BoJ) will announce its interest rate decision on Thursday, March 19. Several other central banks, including the US Federal Reserve and the Bank of England (BoE), will announce their policy decisions this week.

Just a month ago, there were indications that the BoJ could hike rates, sticking to its latest move to tighten policy that started in 2024 after keeping interest rates near or below zero for 17 years.

The BoJ raised the short-term benchmark interest rate to a range of 0 to 0.1% from minus 0.1% earlier on March 19, 2024, e...