The Bank of Japan is widely expected to maintain ultralow rates at the end of its regular two-day meeting from Wednesday, bolstering the case that it will remain a laggard among major central banks in shifting to monetary tightening, even at the expense of a weaker yen. After the yen slumped to a 24-year low against the U.S. dollar and Japanese authorities warned of direct currency intervention to avoid a further slide, financial markets were on alert for any hints of a change in the BOJ’s messaging on yen weakness and inflation, which has stayed above its 2 percent target. On Thursday, the BO…