The Japanese national flag waves at the Bank of Japan building in Tokyo, Japan, Mar 18, 2024. (Photo:REUTERS)

While the move was Japan's first interest rate hike in 17 years, it still keeps rates stuck around zero as a fragile economic recovery forces the central bank to go slow on further rises in borrowing costs, analysts say.

The shift makes Japan the last central bank to exit negative rates, and ends an era in which policymakers around the world sought to prop up growth through cheap money and unconventional monetary tools.

Japanese shares rose after the decision.