Day BOJ Holds Rates While Yen Weakens

The Bank of Japan maintained its policy rate at 0.5% while cutting economic growth and inflation forecasts for FY2025, partly due to uncertainties around U.S. tariffs. BOJ Governor Ueda emphasized that rate hike timing is "not necessarily delayed" despite economic concerns, causing the yen to weaken over 1% as markets recalibrated expectations.

The U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal was finalized after difficult negotiations, creating a new connection between Trump and Kyiv through joint resource development and a reconstruction fund.

Environmental initiatives gained prominence with JFE Engineering partnering with Sushiro and other restaurant chains to convert food waste into renewable energy for 2,300 stores, while Patagonia reoriented its business model toward climate action.

In Saitama, rescue workers recovered what appears to be the body of a driver missing in a sinkhole incident, concluding the search that had begun days earlier.