Kuroda's negative rate surprise shocked his own BOJ board, minutes show

TOKYO, July 15 : The Bank of Japan's shock introduction of negative rates in 2016 drew intense criticism from within the board with some blasting it as half-baked and a risky move that could trigger a currency war with Europe, policy meeting minutes showed on Wednesday.The decision, which was approved by a 5-4 vote, highlighted the resistance former BOJ chief Haruhiko Kuroda faced in pushing the limits of monetary policy and the fragmentation that emerged in the board in battling economic headwinds.After massive asset buying failed to fire up inflation, the BOJ unexpectedly cut a benchmark interest rate below zero in January 2016 in hope of reflating growth and countering sharp yen rises that were hurting the export-reliant economy.Global equities jumped, the yen tumbled and sovereign bond