The Bank of Japan stunned financial markets by adopting an unprecedented negative interest rate on Friday, and as the news sank in analysts began to digest the risks and possible benefits of the move.
With the move, the BOJ will charge banks 0.1 percent annually on the value of certain reserves held with it, encouraging them to lend the cash instead.
Following are questions and answers about the implications for the economy and savers' bank accounts.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.