Tokyo - Tokyo's Nikkei stock index surged as much as 3.24% Tuesday afternoon, after the Bank of Japan held off fresh monetary easing measures but said it would tweak a lending scheme to banks.
The headline index rose 465.76 points to 14 858.87, as the yen dropped on news that the BoJ would make changes to loans programmes.
Wrapping up a two-day policy meeting, the BoJ said it would keep its massive easing programme in place, in line with expectations.
However, it also decided to double the sum of loan schemes to banks in a bid to stimulate lending to firms and to finance growth-stoking projects such as environmental research and natural resources development.