BOJ maintains policy as is; ups GDP outlook.

As expected, the Bank of Japan has maintained its program of expanding the monetary base at an annual rate of ¥60-70T ($611-713B) a year. The BOJ said it is making steady progress in achieving its target of 2% inflation, and reiterated that it expects CPI of 1.3% in 2014-15 and 1.9% a year later. The central bank slightly increased its 2014-15 GDP growth outlook to 1.5% from a prior prediction of 1.3% but maintained its 2015-16 forecast at 1.5%.