• USD/JPY weakens near 144.50 in Thursday’s early Asian session. 
• BoJ’s Himino said central bank would continue to raise interest rates if inflation stayed on course. 
• The Fed's dovish stance undermines the US dollar against the JPY. 

The USD/JPY pair remains on the defensive around 144.50 during the Asian trading hours on Thursday. The dovish remarks from the Federal Reserve (Fed) officials continue to undermine the US Dollar (USD) in the near term. Investors await the preliminary US Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth number for Q2, which is expected to grow 2.8%.

The Bank of Japan (BoJ) Deputy Governor Ryozo Himino stated on Wednesday that the Japanese central bank would continue to raise interest rates if inflation stayed on course, while also closely monitoring financial market conditions. 

His comments echo those from BoJ Governor Kazuo Ueda last week, who said that recent market volatility would not derail its long-term rate hike plans. a majority of economists expect the BOJ to hike rates again this year, starting in December rather than October, according to a Reuters poll.