The Bank of Japan is expected to leave interest rates unchanged on Thursday, wrapping up its two-day policy meeting with a cautiously optimistic tone amid easing trade tensions following a new agreement with Washington. The BoJ does not have a firmly scheduled time for publishing its statement or outlook report.expect the announcements sometime in the 0230 - 0330 GMT time window (2230-2330 US Eastern time)Earlier: Preview - BOJ to hold rates this week, may signal future hikes as outlook improvesWhile no major policy shifts are anticipated, attention will turn to Governor Kazuo Ueda’s press conference at 06:30 GMT, where markets hope to glean clues about the possibility of another rate hike later this year. Policymakers are weighing ongoing risks to growth from U.S. tariffs against growing inflationary pressure driven by rising food costs.Sources suggest the BOJ will revise up its inflation forecast for the current fiscal year in its quarterly report but will maintain the view that core inflation — driven by domestic demand — remains below its 2% target.Although the central bank may soften its tone on economic risks, particularly those related to trade, it is still expected to highlight uncertainty surrounding the impact of higher U.S. levies on business sentiment and investment.“Given the high degree of uncertainty, a wait-and-see stance is appropriate for now,” said former BOJ Deputy Governor Hiroshi Nakaso. “But once those uncertainties recede and the BOJ is confident inflation is tracking in line with its projections, I think they’ll resume tightening.”Short-term rates are widely expected to remain at 0.5%, with the bank likely to strike a balance between acknowledging improving conditions and remaining vigilant over lingering global risks.---USD/JPY rose on the FOMC (see chart above). This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at investinglive.com.