April 23 (Reuters) - Nikkei:
* BANK OF JAPAN TO DISCUSS IMPACT OF YEN'S RAPID SLIDE AT THIS WEEK'S POLICY MEETING
* BANK OF JAPAN EXPECTED TO FOCUS ON EFFECTS OF RAPIDLY WEAKENING YEN ON INFLATION AT THEIR TWO-DAY MEETING STARTING THURSDAY
* BOJ IS CLOSELY WATCHING CORE INFLATION AS IT WEIGHS THE TIMING OF ADDITIONAL HIKES
* RATHER THAN RUSHING FURTHER TWEAKS, BOJ AIMS TO CAREFULLY MONITOR MOVES BY SMALLER BUSINESSES TO RAISE PAY AND PASS ALONG INCREASED COSTS
* "WE WANT TO CONFIRM THAT THE CYCLE BETWEEN WAGE AND PRICE GROWTH IS STRENGTHENING," BOJ SOURCE TOLD NIKKEI
* BOJ WILL ALSO DISCUSS WHETHER TO UPGRADE ITS 2.4% INFLATION FORECAST FOR FISCAL 2024 MADE IN JANUARY
