Stocks and the dollar took a hammering in Tokyo Thursday after Japan's central bankers kept monetary policy steady.

日本中央银行决定维持货币政策不变，使股市和美元受到冲击。

"Japan's economy is likely to expand moderately as a trend," the central bank's governor, Harukiko Kuroda, told reporters following the market close.

股市收盘后，日本中央银行总裁黑田东彦对记者说，日本经济小幅上升是基本走势。

Although the Bank of Japan (BOJ) inaction was widely expected it still sent the Japanese currency soaring. The yen has recently emerged as a safe haven for jittery investors amid concern about the U.S. economy and the increasing chances of a British exit from the European Union in the referendum next Thursday.

尽管日本央行维持现状早在意料之中，日元汇率仍大幅上升。投资者对美国经济状况和英国下周四公投越来越可能退出欧盟的前景感到不安，使日元成为一个安全的避风港。

The yen rose more than one percent against the U.S. dollar in Asia trading Thursday. In late afternoon trading in Asia the greenback fell into the 103 yen range, a level not seen since 2014.

星期四，日元在亚洲市场对美元的汇率提高了1%以上。在星期四傍晚的交易中，美元对日元的汇率降至1比103，这是2014年以来的最低点。

A government spokesman in Tokyo characterized the yen's rise as too rapid and speculative and said officials are keeping a close watch on the currency market.

日本政府发言人在东京表示，日元升值过快，具有风险，并表示政府官员正在密切关注货币市场的动向。