The Bank of Japan is expected to keep monetary policy steady on Thursday and predict that inflation will fall short of its 2 percent target for three more years, signaling that its massive stimulus will stay in place for the foreseeable future. Given their dwindling policy tool-kit, BOJ officials have made clear that subdued inflation alone won’t trigger additional easing, and that the central bank will act only if risks threaten to derail Japan’s economic recovery. But slowing global demand and simmering trade tensions have hurt Japan’s exports and business sentiment, putting the test to the BOJ’s projection the ... (full story)