In a surprise move, the Bank of Japan has decided to introduce an interest rate of minus 0.1 percent.

日本银行出人意料地决定将利率降至-0.1%。

The move affects current accounts held by financial institutions at the central bank, which previously offered a miniscule +0.1 percent on deposits.

这一举措将影响金融机构在日本中央银行的账户。先前的存储利率是+0.1%。

The central bankers, after their 5-4 vote Friday, issued a statement warning of deeper interest rate cuts into negative territory “if judged as necessary.”

日本中央银行星期五投票表决，以五票支持，四票反对的结果通过。日本中央银行随后发表声明警告说，“如果判断有必要”，还可能进一步降息。

Negative interest rates – something that sounds counterintuitive – means that financial institutions, instead of receiving money for their deposits, must pay to keep their money at the central bank. This is intended to be an incentive for the banks to lend money more freely.

负利率意味着金融机构在中央银行的存款不但没有利息，而且还要为存款付费。采取这一举措是为了鼓励银行放贷。