The Bank of Japan is laying the groundwork for tweaks to its policy language in April, keeping alive the chance of a near-term interest rate hike as the weak yen and Middle East conflict pile inflationary pressures on the economy. While the central bank kept rates steady last week, Governor Kazuo Ueda signalled that the bank was shifting away from a focus on downside risks to the economy that required a slow, cautious approach in pushing up borrowing costs. [...]