Japan's central bank announced this morning that it had decided to leave its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 0.5% as expected, following recent heavy losses on global stock markets.
The decision came a day after Japanese share prices tumbled 2.5% to a 15-month low, although some calm returned today as stronger than expected economic growth figures and a steadier yen helped to reassure investors.
The Bank of Japan last year raised interest rates for the first time in almost six years as Asia's largest economy slowly recovered from a decade-long slump.
It hiked rates again in February but has held them steady since then amid domestic political uncertainty and financial market volatility.
