Kazuo Ueda, Governor of the Bank of Japan, has indicated the possibility of continued increases in the benchmark interest rate. The Bank of Japan serves as Japan's central bank, equivalent to the Bank of Korea in South Korea.
According to Kyodo News and other sources, Governor Ueda stated at a press conference following the Monetary Policy Meeting on the 19th, "We will continue to raise the policy interest rate to adjust the degree of monetary easing."
At the meeting, the Bank of Japan decided to raise the short-term policy rate, which serves as the benchmark interest rate, from "around 0.5%" to "around 0.75%," an increase of 0.25 percentage points. This is the first rate hike in 11 months since January of this year, and it is reportedly the highest level since 1995.
Governor Ueda explained that the main reasons for the rate hike include reduced uncertainty stemming from the tariff policies of the Donald Trump administration in the United States and the possibility of wage increases for Japanese companies in the spring of next year. However, he did not specify the timing of any additional rate hikes, stating only that he would "make an appropriate judgment."
Meanwhile, regarding the 10-year government bond yield rising to 2.02%-the highest level in 26 years-due to the Bank of Japan's benchmark rate hike and concerns over fiscal deterioration under the Takaichi Cabinet, Ueda said, "If there are exceptional movements that differ from normal trends, we will respond flexibly."
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