The BOJ also reduced its expectations of the GDP growth to 1.7% from 1.9% in the next fiscal year and to 1.1% from 1.5% in 2024.
Japan's central bank kept its forecast for inflation in the next fiscal year the same 1.6% as in October but increased it to 1.8% from 1.6% for 2024.
In 2013, the BOJ announced a "price stability target" of 2% annual inflation. The year 2022 will become the first to exceed this benchmark since 2015.