TOKYO, March 8 (Reuters) - A growing number of Bank of Japan policymakers are warming to the idea of ending negative interest rates this month on expectations that this year's annual wage negotiations will yield strong results, four sources familiar with its thinking said,
But an imminent policy shift is hardly a done deal as there is no consensus within the nine-member board on whether to pull the trigger at its upcoming March 18-19 meeting, or hold off at least until the subsequent meeting on April 25-26, they say.
Many BOJ policymakers are closely watching the outcome of big firms' annual wage negotiations with unions on March 13 to determine how soon to phase out their massive stimulus.
Significant pay hikes will likely heighten the chance of a March action, as the offers by big firms usually set the tone of those by smaller firms nationwide, the sources said on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
"If the spring wage negotiation outcome is strong, the BOJ may not necessarily need to wait until April," one of the sources said.
But the BOJ may hold off until April if many board members prefer to wait for next month's "tankan" business sentiment survey and the bank's regional branch managers' report on the nationwide wage outlook, before making a final decision, they said.
(Reporting by Leika Kihara; Editing by Kim Coghill)
