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Bank of Japan: monetary policy, rates and statistics

The Bank of Japan is Japan's central bank. Its Policy Board sets monetary policy at eight Monetary Policy Meetings a year, aiming at 2% inflation, and it publishes the Outlook Report, the Tankan business survey and statistics on money, interest rates, exchange markets, flow of funds and prices. Fact-checkers use it for claims about interest rates, the yen, money supply and government bond holdings.

Release calendar

What it publishes

• Monetary policy statements and changes to the guideline for money market operations.
• The Outlook for Economic Activity and Prices (Outlook Report), four times a year.
• Tankan short-term economic survey of enterprises, quarterly.
• Daily foreign exchange rates and market statistics for the Tokyo market.
• Money stock, monetary base, loans and deposits, and flow of funds accounts.
• Corporate goods price index and services producer price index.

Key datasets

• Monetary policy releases
  Statements and decisions from each Monetary Policy Meeting.
  Updated: Eight meetings a year
• Monetary Policy Meetings schedule and minutes
  Meeting dates, Summary of Opinions and minutes.
  Updated: Eight meetings a year
• Foreign exchange rates, daily
  Tokyo market dollar-yen and euro rates at 9:00 and 17:00.
  Updated: Business days

APIs and downloads

• BOJ statistics
  Index of statistics with release schedule and explanations; time series are available through the Bank's Time-Series Data Search as CSV.

When it publishes

Monetary policy decisions are published on the final day of each two-day meeting, usually around midday Tokyo time. The meeting calendar is published well in advance. The Tankan survey is published quarterly. Statistics follow the Bank's published release schedule.

How to use it to check a claim

1. For 'the interest rate', quote the target for the uncollateralised overnight call rate and the date it took effect, which can be several days after the decision.
2. Check the vote: decisions are often by majority, and the statement lists dissenting members.
3. For exchange-rate claims, use the 17:00 Tokyo rate or the central rate for a stated day, and note that market rates move continuously.
4. For claims about the Bank's bond holdings, use its balance sheet or Bank of Japan accounts rather than secondary summaries.

Common mistakes

• The Bank's exchange rates are market records, not official conversion rates.
• Currency intervention is decided and reported by the Ministry of Finance, not the Bank of Japan.
• Some statistics pages in English lag the Japanese versions by a few hours or days.

When is the next Bank of Japan rate decision?

The Bank publishes its Monetary Policy Meeting dates on its meeting schedule page; the next meeting listed is on 29 and 30 October 2026.

Does the Bank of Japan set mortgage rates?

No. It sets a target for a short-term market rate. Banks set their own lending rates, which respond partly to policy changes and to bond yields.

Questions answered using this source

• What is the Bank of Japan interest rate?
• What is the yen exchange rate today?
• What is the inflation rate in Japan?
• How much is Japan's national debt?

Links checked 14 October 2026. This page describes what the source publishes and gives no verdict on any claim.