The yen remained under pressure as market conviction grew that the dollar's yield advantage will not weaken for some time to come. The BOJ is expected to scrap its quantitative easing policy of force-feeding the banking system with excess funds after a two-day meeting on Thursday. But its key overnight call rate is not expected to rise from current levels around zero until the end of the year. Traders said the market has been spooked by mounting calls from the Japanese government, including Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, for the BOJ to think twice about an early end to the easing policy so as not to spoil a hard-won economic recovery. But Simon Derrick, head of currency research at Bank of New York, said there is still scope for a BOJ move this week and thus for yen appreciation. "The sheer amount of political pressure that has been brought to bear for the BOJ to stay their hand suggests to me that, for the people in the know, all the signs must be that the BOJ are more likely to move than not at this week's meeting," he said.