TOKYO, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Bank of Japan (BOJ) Governor Kazuo Ueda said on Friday that Japanese government bond yields are rising at a "rapid pace" in recent trading and the central bank stands ready to step up bond-buying operations if necessary.
At a press conference following the BOJ's two-day policy meeting, Ueda said the central bank may conduct bond market operations "flexibly" to curb further rises.
The yield on the most recent issue of 10-year Japanese government bonds, regarded as the country's benchmark long-term interest rate, has risen sharply in recent days, hitting a 27-year high of 2.38 percent on Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, the BOJ left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 0.75 percent as widely expected after having just hiked the rate from 0.5 percent in December.
Ueda said that he will assess the effects of the BOJ's previous rate hike when considering at what time to get to the next rate hike.
The market's reaction to the BOJ policy meeting outcome was limited after the central bank maintained the policy rate in a widely expected decision and broadly maintained its inflation projections.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended up 157.98 points, or 0.29 percent, from Thursday at 53,846.87. The broader Topix index, meanwhile, finished 13.32 points, or 0.37 percent, higher at 3,629.70. ■
