• The Japanese Yen continues losing ground amid reduced bets for a BoJ policy pivot.
• Hawkish Fed expectations underpin the USD and further lend support to USD/JPY.
• Traders now look to the BoJ decision for fresh cues ahead of the FOMC meeting.

The Japanese Yen (JPY) drifts lower for the sixth straight day on Tuesday and weakens to a nearly two-week low against its American counterpart during the Asian session. Growing acceptance that the Bank of Japan (BoJ) will wait until April to exit the negative interest rate policy and the Yield Curve Control (YCC) turns out to be a key factor undermining the JPY. Apart from this, a modest US Dollar (USD) strength, bolstered by reduced bets for steep interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve (Fed), lifts the USD/JPY pair closer to mid-149.00s.

Meanwhile, the much-stronger-than-expected pay hikes by major Japanese firms already seem to have set the stage for the BoJ to pivot away from the decade-long stimulus measures, which should act as a tailwind for the JPY. Traders might also refrain from placing aggressive directional bets and prefer to move to the sidelines ahead of the key central bank event risks. The BoJ is scheduled to announce its highly-anticipated decision in a short while from now, which will be followed by the crucial two-day FOMC monetary policy meeting starting later today.