Yen39;s fresh fall below 155 vs dollar keeps BOJ under pressure
Markets wary of 2022 repeat when dovish BOJ led to intervention
BOJ to keep rates steady, may reduce bondbuying plan for May
Finance minister says will respond appropriately to yen moves

TOKYO, April 25 Reuters The yen39;s slide to fresh 34year lows is likely to force Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda to walk a delicate line in guiding monetary policy this week as he tries to maintain a calibrated path to exiting ultraeasy rates without upending the currency.

The BOJ chief will be mindful of avoiding the episode of 2022, when his predecessor39;s dovish remarks triggered a yen plunge that forced Tokyo to intervene to prop up the currency.

Ueda has ruled out the chance of aggressive rate hikes due to Japan39;s fragile economy, which has in part fed expectations of lowforlonger rates and emboldened yen bears.

In recent comments, however, Ueda has dropped hints the BOJ could raise borrowing costs again later this year, although that has hardly done anything to reverse the yen39;s inexorable slide over the past few months.

The BOJ is expected to keep interest rates steady at a twoday meeting ending on Friday, and project inflation to stay near its 2 target in coming years on prospects of steady wage gains.

The prospect of Japanese rates staying low for an extended period and expectations for a delayed start to U.S. rate cuts have continued to push down the yen despite aggressive jawboning by Japanese…