Japan’s central bank on Tuesday finally ended its experiment with negative rates and unconventional easing tools which were aimed at reflating the world’s fourth-largest economy. The Bank of Japan’s decision came just days after Rengo, Japan’s largest federation of trade unions, said ongoing “shunto” wage negotiations between Japan Inc and unionized employees have so far yielded a provisional weighted average 3.7% spike in base pay. This was even more robust than last year’s gains, which were the steepest in three decades. BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda had repeatedly said these talks would be key to sustainable price ... (full story)