The Bank of Japan (BoJ) maintained its benchmark interest rate at 0.75% on Tuesday, but a split decision among board members has heightened expectations for a rate hike by the end of the second quarter. Three members voted for an immediate increase, marking the largest dissent since Kazuo Ueda became governor. The BoJ also raised its core inflation forecast to 2.8% for this fiscal year, while lowering economic growth projections to 0.5%. The yen strengthened following the announcement, with the USD/JPY pair dropping nearly 0.5% to 158.95. This currency movement reflects traders pricing in a 74% chance of a rate hike on June 16. Meanwhile, Bitcoin faced pressure, with the BTC/JPY pair on bitFlyer falling 0.6% to 12.28 million yen. The yen's appreciation is linked to its role as a funding currency, and expectations of a rate hike could trigger unwinding of yen-funded carry trades, impacting global risk assets.