• AUD/JPY gains momentum near 97.55 in Thursday’s Asian session, up 0.36% on the day. 
• The improved Chinese July Retail Sales boost the Aussie. 
• The BoJ rate hike uncertainty might weigh on the Japanese Yen. 

The AUD/JPY cross attracts some buyers around 97.55 during the Asian trading hours on Thursday. The upbeat Chinese July Retail Sales data provides some support to the Australian Dollar (AUD). Investors await Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Governor Michele Bullock's speech on Friday for fresh catalysts. 

Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics of China on Thursday showed that China’s Retail Sales rose by 2.7% YoY in July, compared to 2.0% seen in the previous month. This figure was better than the market expectations. Meanwhile, Chinese Industrial Production arrived at 5.1% YoY in July from 5.3% in June, below the market consensus of 5.2%. The Aussie edges higher in response to the reports. However, the Chinese economy remained fragile, with recent government measures providing only a minor boost to private spending. This is likely to weigh on the AUD in the near term as China is Australia's major trading partner.

Elsewhere, Australia’s Unemployment Rate rose to 4.2% in July from 4.1% in June, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) revealed on Thursday. Economists had expected the rate to remain unchanged at 4.1%. Markets are now fully pricing in the chance of a 25 basis points (bps) rate cut by the RBA final meeting of the year in December, according to the ASX rates tracker.