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Matrix co-producer Village Roadshow sues Warner Bros. over streaming release

Keanu Reeves, Jessica Henwick, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in The Matrix Resurrections (2021) — IMDB.COM

THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS co-producer Village Roadshow Entertainment Group has filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros., alleging the studio’s move to release the film simultaneously on HBO Max and in theaters was a breach of contract.

In a suit filed in the Los Angeles superior court on Monday, Village Roadshow also alleged that Warner Bros., owned by AT&T, Inc. unit WarnerMedia, had moved the release date of the film to 2021 from 2022 to help HBO Max attract more subscribers.

The lawsuit pointed to other box-office winners such as SpiderMan: No Way Home that were released in late 2021 without a simultaneous streaming release.

“We have no doubt that this case will be resolved in our favor,” a spokesperson for Warner Bros. said.

Warner Bros. had announced in late 2020 that its entire slate of movies for 2021 would be available in theaters and on HBO Max on the same day.

The news underlines growing tensions between entertainment players as media companies sharpen their focus on their streaming platforms at the cost of traditional distribution platforms.

Last year, actress Scarlett Johansson got into a legal dispute with Walt Disney Co. over the film Black Widow after the company offered the movie on its subscription streaming service Disney+ at the same time the film was playing in theaters. — Reuters

Globe says 1.62M devices on 5G as of end-2021

GLOBE Telecom, Inc. on Tuesday said data traffic in its fifth-generation (5G) network continues to increase, mainly due to the growing demand for high-speed mobile broadband, especially with the rise of data-intensive applications.

“For the full year of 2021, Globe has served up to 6.71 petabytes of data in its 5G network,” Globe said in an e-mailed statement.

The company said it saw a “27x increase” in monthly data traffic in its 5G network this year, growing by “35.2% month-on-month.”

“As of end-December 2021, Globe logged over 1.62 million devices in its 5G network, as it reaches 96% of NCR (National Capital Region) and 84% of key VisMin (Visayas and Mindanao) cities in terms of 5G coverage,” it added.

5G technology, which offers speeds up to seven times faster than 4G, currently provides the fastest mobile connectivity and download speeds.

“It also has ultra-low latency, greater bandwidth, superior network reliability, and the ability to connect to more devices,” Globe noted.

The company has fired up more than 2,000 5G cell sites and upgraded 12,900 cell towers nationwide.

“Of the total number of 5G sites, over 1,400 cell sites are in Luzon, over 300 are in the Visayas, and over 230 are in Mindanao,” it said.

Globe recently reported that it was recognized by global standard Opensignal for having “the largest uplift in mobile multiplayer gaming experience, with an improvement of 65.2%.”

“5G Video experience with Globe was also elevated to a rating of excellent, with an uplift of 32.8% better than 4G,” it said in a separate statement. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Wesley So closes in on world chess championship

US chess player Wesley So — FIDE.COM

STEP by step, Philippine-born Wesley So is inching closer to realizing his dream of becoming world classical chess champion.

After a slow start, Mr. So found his groove and won two straight games including a fourth-round victory over fellow American Leinier Dominguez-Perez Monday night to zoom to the top of Pool D in the FIDE Grand Prix 1 2022 in Berlin, Germany.

The two-time US titlist, who struggled in the first two rounds due to jetlag that resulted to a pair of draws with Mr. Dominguez-Perez and Indian Pentala Harikrishna in games where the former could have lost, found his touch in the third round Sunday by smashing Alexei Shirov, a former world challenger, of Spain.

Mr. So rode on that momentum in blasting Mr. Dominguez-Perez in 39 moves of a Guioco Piano duel where the former used the f-file to seize control of the second rank where he gobbled up three pawns that sent the latter to submission.

When the smoke of battle dissipated, the former Philippine top board player in the World Chess Olympiad emerged four pawns up and about to checkmate the Cuban émigré when the latter resigned.

This catapulted Mr. So straight to No. 1 in Pool D with three points, a full point ahead of Mr. Dominguez-Perez and Mr. Harikrishna, who halved the point with Mr. Shirov, with two points apiece.

Mr. So could clinch the lone semis spot staked in his bracket if he could score at least 1.5 points against Mr. Harikrishna at press time and Mr. Shirov today.

Mr. So is eyeing to perform strongly here, the first of a three-leg series, to have a shot at claiming the two slots to the Candidates Tournament 2022 scheduled June 16-July 7 in Madrid, Spain where the winner earns a shot at Magnus Carlsen’s world classical crown.

And Mr. So, who has become world champion in Fischer-Random but not in standard chess, hopes he gets that chance. — Joey Villar

Google shares fact-checking tools

INDEPENDENT media outfit FYT and Google recently held a webinar titled “#FYTCOVID19: Fighting vaccine misinformation” to share tips on how to verify online information:  

  • Use Google Search operators — These are short commands that help filter Search results. To find exact matches, enclose Search queries in quotation marks. Using the “+” and “-” symbols between two terms will include or exclude related matches, respectively. You can also limit results from a specific website by using “site:”, or view results from a specific time range by choosing “custom range” in the Tools option. A complete list of search operators can be found at ahrefs.com/blog/google-advanced-search-operators.
  • Confirm when a post was uploaded — The date and time of when a post was uploaded is important when relating a source to a context. This is usually easily identifiable on some social media platforms, where hovering over the date and time or selecting “Inspect” allows you to view precise upload details. You can also use InVid to verify the exact local upload time of YouTube videos. 
  • Use reverse image search — Images or footage can be easily used in the wrong context. There are a lot of available tools online to verify the original source of an image such as Google Image Search, Yandex, Bing, Tineye, and Reveye among others. For videos, InVid’s verification plugin allows the extraction of multiple keyframes and do reverse image search on them. 
  • Identify the geolocation — Sometimes, a simple reverse image search can help identify where a photo or video was taken in order to verify if an incident took place where it claims to have happened. If not, it will be helpful to look out for street layouts, statues and monuments, architectural details, street signs and shopfronts, license plates, as well as terrains and topographies. 
  • Be keen on details when watching videos — Be sure to watch videos right through because details can be crucial. Watch out for camera movement and take time to pause to catch the decisive view you need. You may also use the apostrophe and period keys to advance or reverse frame by frame. Don’t forget to listen — you may be able to pick out place names, accents, dialects. 
    Utilize Google Maps — If you cannot be physically present in a certain location, you may use Google Maps’ Street View. You may even view old street view images of the same location through the “historical view” function.

Robin Williams, George Carlin estates sue Pandora over copyrighted jokes

Robin Williams in The Butler (2013) — ©THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY/ IMDB.COM

THE ESTATES of Robin Williams and George Carlin sued Sirius XM’s Pandora Media, Inc. on Monday, claiming the online music service owes royalties for streaming their material millions of times.

Williams and Carlin’s estates, along with comedians Bill Engvall, Ron White, and Andrew Dice Clay, have not received a “fraction of a penny” from Pandora, they said in five separate federal lawsuits filed in Los Angeles by the same attorney.

The lawsuits ask for damages ranging from over $4 million for Williams’ estate to nearly $13 million for White.

Carlin and Williams were two of the most popular comedians of all time. Carlin died in 2008 and Williams in 2014. Engvall and White are best known for their performances on the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, while Clay was a major act in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The lawsuits say Pandora’s licenses to the comedians’ recordings do not include their underlying jokes. While companies like Pandora often negotiate licenses to music rights with performing-rights organizations like the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, these groups don’t license literary works like spoken-word comedy, the comedians said.

They said Pandora knew it was violating their rights. Pandora’s filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission from 2011 to 2017 allegedly said that it played spoken-word comedy “absent a specific license from any performing rights association” and could face “significant liability for copyright infringement.”

A rights-management group discussed licensing the works with Pandora starting in 2020, but Pandora ended the discussions last year, the complaints said. Internet radio giant Sirius XM bought Pandora for $3.5 billion in 2018 to bolster its streaming services against rivals like Spotify and Apple Music. A Sirius spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The comedians’ lawyer declined to comment on the lawsuits. — Reuters

IKEA sets order collection points in Pampanga, Cebu

IKEA Philippines launched collection points in Pampanga and Cebu for customers in Central and Northern Luzon and in the Visayas region.

Customers who order online through IKEA’s website can avail of the collection point service through the Click & Collect option when checking out. Customers may choose the collection point, date, and time most convenient for them.

Shoppers will receive a text message when their order is ready for pickup.

“We are always looking for new ways to make our home furnishing solutions more accessible to the many people,” IKEA Philippines Fulfillment Developer Jon Cinconiegue said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Through additional collection points in Luzon and Visayas, we can reach even more Filipinos and help them create a better and more sustainable everyday life,” he added.

IKEA Philippines said its Pampanga collection point has been operating since December. It is located at Cluster J of The Shoppes @ Infinity in Angeles City. Customers may avail of services for P900. 

Meanwhile, the Cebu collection point just began serving customers on Tuesday. The IKEA Cebu collection point is located at the Veranda alley in Robinsons Galleria Cebu City and is charging customers P2,700.

IKEA Philippines tapped XDE Logistics to serve both collection points.

“XDE is the domestic contract logistics partner of IKEA Philippines providing door-to-door deliveries from Manila to Cebu and across the country,” IKEA Philippines said.

However, the furniture brand also said it partnered with LBC to serve both collection points. IKEA Philippines delivery via LBC will be offered to its customers soon. — Keren Concepcion G. Valmonte

Reissued 10-year Treasury bonds fully awarded

BW FILE PHOTO

THE GOVERNMENT fully awarded the Treasury bonds (T-bonds) it auctioned off on Tuesday even as the average rate was higher than the coupon to track the increase in US benchmark yields.

The Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) on Tuesday raised P35 billion as planned via the reissued 10-year T-bonds it auctioned off, which have a remaining life of nine years and 11 months. The tenor fetched bids amounting to P51.077 billion.

The reissued 10-year papers fetched an average rate of 5.093%. This was 21.8 basis points (bps) higher than the 4.875% coupon rate quoted when the papers were first offered on Jan. 18.

The average yield was also higher by 11.72 bps than the 4.9758% quoted for the 10-year tenor on Monday at the secondary market, based on the PHP Bloomberg Valuation Service Reference Rates published on the Philippine Dealing System’s website.

“The average rate [was] marginally higher than secondary level as local rate tracked [the] climb in US Treasuries,” National Treasurer Rosalia V. de Leon said in a Viber message to reporters.

The prospect of rate hikes has bond markets reeling, and in Asia both Treasuries and Japanese government bond yields rose, with the rate of benchmark 10-year Treasuries were up about 3 basis points to 1.95% on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

“The range as to where it was awarded just reflects where the demand is given the backdrop of higher yields due to hawkish shift by major central banks,” a trader said in a Viber message.

The US Federal Reserve last month said it may start increasing interest rates by March to quell elevated inflation and as the economy recovers.

Over the weekend, Dutch Central Bank President Klaas Knot, who is also a member of the European Central Bank’s (ECB) governing council, said he expects the ECB to start hiking rates by the fourth quarter of 2022.

ECB President Christine Lagarde last week said they would not explicitly rule out the possibility of a hike within the year, a change from her previous stance that such move will be unlikely.

For this month, the BTr is looking to raise P200 billion from the domestic market, or P60 billion through Treasury bills and P140 billion via T-bonds.

The government borrows from local and external sources to help fund a budget deficit capped at 7.7% of gross domestic product in 2022. — L.W.T. Noble with Reuters

COVID-19 vaccination protects children from getting seriously ill

PHILSTAR

The Department of Health (DoH) and the National Task Force Against COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) said that the policy to vaccinate children in the 5 to 11 age group is the result of careful study by health experts and has been approved in many countries.  

In a joint statement, they said that more than 8.1 million children have been vaccinated worldwide, with no reports of deaths and serious adverse events among those vaccinated. 

Vaccinating children aged 5 to 11 years old prevents severe COVID-19, hospitalization, and serious and long-term complications. 

Citing modeling data from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, the Philippine Pediatric Society (PPS) and the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of the Philippines (PIDSP) stated in their joint statement that vaccinating children aged 5 to 11 years old could also reduce COVID-19 transmission in the whole population, lower the likelihood of school absences and closures, lessen interference with social activities, and ease stress on families affected by COVID-19 and its associated disruptions. 

PIDSP president Dr. Mary Ann Bunyi, also a member of the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG), urged parents to have their children in this age group vaccinated when the government’s pediatric vaccination program, which started on Feb. 7. With parental consent, the DoH has received at least 100,000 pre-registrations for the vaccination rollout for the said age group. 

“The vaccine is safe and effective. This is an opportunity for your family and children to be protected against COVID-19. Getting fully vaccinated will enable your children to go outside the house, attend face-to-face classes, and play with their friends,” she said. 

In December 2021, the Philippine Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 years. The vaccine for this age group has a lower dosage than the vaccine for the 12 to 17 age category and adults. The government aims to vaccinate at least 13.5 million children aged 5 to 11 against COVID-19. 

“Published data from randomized clinical trials for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine showed that a vaccination regimen consisting of two 10-μg doses of the vaccine administered 21 days apart among 5–11-year-olds had a favorable safety profile and antibody levels comparable to those in 16-to-25-year-olds. A vaccine efficacy of 90.7% has formed the basis of approval for use of the vaccine in the Philippines and in other countries,” according to the PIDSP and PPS joint statement. 

It added that safety data from United States surveillance showed that serious adverse events following Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination in children ages 5 to 11 years occurred in only 2% of recipients, with fever and vomiting as the most frequently reported. In the latest Philippine safety data for the 12-17 age group, dizziness, injection site pain, fever, increased blood pressure, and headache were the most commonly reported adverse reactions. 

Protecting children from COVID-19 is crucial. The PPS and PIDSP noted that in the Philippines, around 3% of COVID-19 cases and 0.5% of deaths are among children aged 5 to 11 years old, which is similar to the worldwide trend. “Although COVID-19 cases in children remain less severe compared to older adults, children can still be hospitalized and even require admission to the intensive care unit (ICU).” 

Moreover, the two societies said that between 0.5% and 3.1% of all children diagnosed with COVID-19 and between 0.9% and 7.6% of hospitalized pediatric COVID-19 patients may be at risk of developing multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MISC). MISC is a condition where different body parts can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. 

“[Children] may also be at risk of developing ‘long COVID’,” the PPS and PIDSP stated. Also known as long-haul COVID or post-acute COVID-19, long COVID refers to a wide range of new, returning, or ongoing health problems people can experience four or more weeks after first being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. 

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that people with long COVID commonly report experiencing different combinations of the following symptoms: difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, fatigue, symptoms that get worse after physical or mental activities (post-exertional malaise), difficulty thinking or concentrating (sometimes referred to as “brain fog”), cough, chest or stomach pain, headache, fast-beating or pounding heart (heart palpitations), joint or muscle pain, pins-and-needles feeling, diarrhea, sleep problems, fever, dizziness on standing (lightheadedness), rash, mood changes, change in smell or taste, and changes in menstrual period cycles. 

  

Teodoro B. Padilla is the executive director of the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP), which represents the biopharmaceutical medicines and vaccines industry in the country. Its members are at the forefront of research and development efforts for COVID-19 and other diseases that affect Filipinos.

Arts & Culture (02/09/22)

‘1945: In Memoriam’ online tour

To commemorate the Battle of Manila, The Heritage Collective, Renacimiento Manila, Don’t Skip Manila, and WanderManila present an online experimental tour “1945: In Memoriam,” a multimedia experience that will detail how the Battle of Manila unfolded, how the City of Manila fell, and how so many lives were lost. It will stream live on Feb. 26, 7 p.m., at the Facebook pages of Don’t Skip Manila, The Heritage Collective, Renacimiento Manila, and WanderManila. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/WanderManila/.

Group show at ARTablado

A POET once said, “You must first be grounded before you can soar.” That’s the philosophy behind the Robinsons Land ARTablado group show titled “From My Roots,” which will go on view from Feb. 16 to 28, at Level 3 of Robinsons Galleria. The participating artists will share tableaus and thoughts about their home in Quezon province. “From My Roots” will features the works of Avie Abadilla, Frank Hari, Glenmore Lawig, Jake Alano, Joel Reglos, Melo Valencia, Nelle Amador, Raffa Dala, Tres Roman, and Tristan Bamba.

Young piano virtuosos in a virtual concert series

FIVE young pianists will have an opportunity to showcase their talents in a special virtual concert series, dubbed Special Concert Series: Young Virtuosos Play on the Fazioli Piano, on February 9 to 13, to be live streamed at the CCP YouTube Channel and Facebook Page. Nathan Samuel Gemina, Michael Angelo Valenciano, Aidan Ezra Baracol, Inna Montesclaros, and Ella Gabrielle Gaw will each perform a classical piece in a 15-minute solo recital, exhibiting their musicality and piano skills using the CCP Fazioli piano, one of but a rare few in the country. The concert series — which was pre-recorded at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater) — will be hosted by Raul Sunico. The concert is organized with the cooperation of the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA). For more updates, follow the CCP and NAMCYA Facebook Pages.

‘Saan Ka Lulugar’ webinar series

IN CELEBRATION of National Arts Month, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), through the National Committee on Architecture and the Allied Arts (NCAAA), invites planning and design professionals, academicians, students, and the general public to a series of conversations that will highlight how creativity in planning, designing, and constructing of built environment can hasten recovery from the impacts of the pandemic. With the theme “Creativity as a Catalyst for Recovery,” the four-part webinar series, “Saan Ka Lulugar,” aims to promote culture-based and gender-responsive planning and design of public and private spaces by discussing creative innovations in planning and design. The first session, on Feb. 11, 2 p.m., will focus on building creative cities; the second session, on Feb. 18, 2 p.m., will focus on public art spaces; the third session, on Feb. 25, 2 p.m., will focus on continuing community projects in the time of quarantine; and the fourth session, on March 4, 2 p.m., will focus on creative innovations. Register at http://bit.ly/SaanKaLulugar2022. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/NCAAAexecon. 

Eala beats Italy’s Rubini to book slot in W60 Grenoble main draw

SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD ALEX EALA — GRENOBLE TENNIS

ALEX M. Eala netted a ticket to the main draw of the W60 Grenoble in France after carving out a gritty 4-6, 6-4, 10-4 victory over Italy’s Stefania Rubini in the finals of the qualifying round.

Up against a 29-year-old foe, the 16-year-old Filipina wunderkind relied on fresher legs and ran away in the rubber match after shaking off a sluggish start in the duel that lasted almost two hours.

She broke serve in the fifth game of the decider after a back-and-forth rally to ignite a five-game spree for a comfortable 7-2 cushion that pretty much sealed her victory heading home.

Ms. Eala, who bested France’s Thanh Lan Truong in the first qualifying phase, collides next against Joanne Zuger of Switzerland in the first round of the main tilt for a chance at her first deep run this year.

She absorbed quick exits in her first two tournaments this season, a qualifying loss in the W25 Manacor first leg and a first-round defeat in the third leg last week. She did not participate in the second leg due to illness.

Against the 21-year-old Ms. Zuger boasting a solid resume though, Ms. Eala is in for a serious business.

The Swiss ace is currently No. 264 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings and holder of two pro titles as an automatic entry in the 32-strong W60 Grenoble main draw.

Ms. Eala, who is the world junior No. 12 player, is at No. 587 of the WTA list with only one championship so far. — John Bryan Ulanday

Cebu Pacific sees high passenger acceptance of airline’s digital pivot

CEBUPACIFICAIR.COM

BUDGET carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB) on Tuesday said it saw 96% take-up of flexible options through its self-manage portal, indicating high acceptance of the airline’s digital self-service capabilities.

The airline said it provided flexible options to its customers with flights from Jan. 10 to 31 to allow them to conveniently adjust their travel dates as needed.

“This shift is in line with CEB’s direction to have all-digital customer service operations after it announced the closure of its call centers in May 2021,” the budget carrier said in a statement.

Candice A. Iyog, vice-president for marketing and customer experience at Cebu Pacific, said the company believes this is the way forward for travel.

“We are very happy to see that majority of our guests have accepted our digital self-service platforms,” she added.

It was during the pandemic when the airline made some changes to its online platforms as part of its efforts to implement contactless transactions.

These improvements include correcting misspelled names within 24 hours from flight booking, birthdate, nationality, and salutations.

“Even contact details can now be upgraded by guests on their own,” the airline noted.

“The airline has also deployed self-bag tagging kiosks in some of its key domestic destinations in support of its existing contactless flight guidelines to further minimize physical interactions between passengers and staff,” it added. — Arjay L. Balinbin

BoJ set to face off with traders as yields near limit

WIKIPEDIA.ORG

JAPAN’S government bond yields are edging toward the upper limit of the central bank’s tolerance level, raising questions over how policy makers will respond to the challenge.

As the 10-year yield approaches the 0.25% mark, the Bank of Japan (BoJ) could boost scheduled purchases, buy debt outside of its normal operations, as well as offer to secure an unlimited amount of bonds at a fixed rate in a repeat of what happened in July 2018.

The BoJ’s response will determine whether Japan can defy the worldwide rise in yields as traders ramp up bets for policy normalization. Governor Haruhiko Kuroda has dismissed talk of a rate hike and domestic inflation remains anemic but the global repricing is still altering expectations for Japan’s bond market.

“It’s hard to expect JGB yields to defy BoJ’s aggressive buying and continue their climb as the rise is driven by external factors,” said Naomi Muguruma, a senior market economist at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. in Tokyo. “The BoJ has the option to conduct fixed-rate operations broadly, not just the 10-year zone, to counter a surge in yields.”

Japan’s 10-year yield has risen for two straight months and hit 0.21%, its highest since January 2016 on Tuesday. Under its curve control policy, the BoJ has a desired trading range for the benchmark of 0.25% either side of zero.

Here’s a closer look at the various bond-purchase operations the BoJ can deploy to curb the advance:

UNSCHEDULED OPERATIONS
The BoJ regularly buys set amounts of government bonds from the secondary market on scheduled dates, but it can act at any time. The last time it stepped in unannounced was during the height of the pandemic in March 2020, when the benchmark yield surged about 30 basis points in 10 days.

Given that inflation remains far below the central bank’s 2% target and wage growth is subdued, a shift in policy doesn’t seem imminent, though market expectations look to be shifting.

“Investors’ target levels may be rising a bit, such as 0.1% to 0.2% for 10-year yields from between zero and 0.1% previously, and the 30-year closer to 1%,” Mitsubishi UFJ’s Ms. Muguruma said.

FIXED-RATE BUYING
This method lets the BoJ buy unlimited amounts of debt at pre-determined yields. If it decides to do so for consecutive days, it is expected to announce details of the operation ahead of time.

Some strategists say the BoJ will likely to resort to this before the 10-year yield rises to 0.25%, unlike in July 2018 when it stepped in after the yield rose above the 0.10% limit allowed back then.

“Unscheduled bond operations could just encourage market participants to speculate the BoJ will keep buying, so they aren’t very effective,” said Eiji Dohke, chief bond strategist in Tokyo at SBI Securities Co. in Tokyo. “The BoJ is more likely to use the fixed-rate operation. It could offer to buy 10-year notes at 0.25% when the yield in the secondary market is around 0.22% to 0.23%.”

While such a level below the market price of the bonds would be unlikely to generate any takers, it would mark a line in the sand for the BoJ and could ease the upward pressure on yields.

SCHEDULED OPERATIONS
Alternatively, the BoJ could use its scheduled buying operations to adjust the shape of the yield curve if it sees distortions, said Mari Iwashita, chief market economist at Daiwa Securities Co.

The BoJ has abandoned its monthly purchase schedule in favor of a quarterly plan since July, where it announces fixed amounts for each maturity with set dates for the operations. The next plan will be released on March 31.

“The BoJ could flexibly change the amounts during a month if needed, if it sees some issues in yield levels after conducting fixed-rate operations,” said  Ms. Iwashita. If necessary, the BoJ could decide to change the amount or frequencies for the April-June quarter, she added.

Japan’s bond yields look unlikely to drop back to levels seen late last year, given the aggressive pricing for rate hikes by the Federal Reserve and European Central Bank, according to strategists.

Furthermore, markets may factor in a potential policy shift after Mr. Kuroda’s term ends in April 2023, said Eiichiro Miura, general manager of the fixed-income department at Nissay Asset Management Corp.

“Even if the 10-year yield is contained by BoJ operations, super-long sectors will remain volatile as investors won’t rush to buy when there is potential for a future change in BoJ policy,” he said. — Bloomberg

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