BOJ Deputy Governor Himino told the Diet the central bank will continue raising its policy rate, while flagging that timing will depend on how Middle East developments affect Japan’s economy and prices.
Summary:
- Himino confirmed the BOJ intends to continue raising its policy rate and adjusting the degree of monetary accommodation in line with economic activity, prices and financial conditions
- He said the BOJ will consider the timing and pace of future adjustments while monitoring how Middle East developments affect Japan’s economy and the likelihood of the baseline scenario being realised
- Himino described rises in long-term interest rates as reflecting global concerns about inflation, and said the BOJ will assess bond market conditions and functionality as it reviews its tapering plans
- Finance Minister Katayama said she will closely monitor the Middle East situation’s impact on prices and the economy, pledging a timely response to protect households
- Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Ozaki said the government was aware of reports about consumption tax but that nothing had been decided and he would not prejudge the outcome
Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Ryozo Himino used Diet testimony on Monday to reaffirm the central bank’s commitment to raising interest rates, delivering a clear directional signal while building in explicit flexibility around timing given the unresolved conflict in the Middle East.
Himino’s core message was unambiguous: the BOJ will continue to raise its policy rate and progressively reduce the degree of monetary accommodation, calibrating its moves to the trajectory of economic activity, prices and financial conditions. That formulation keeps the tightening path intact while preserving the discretion the bank will need if the Iran conflict produces a sharper-than-expected drag on the Japanese economy.
The Middle East featured prominently in Himino’s remarks. He acknowledged that the BOJ’s economic outlook is contingent on how the situation develops, and said the central bank will weigh the timing and pace of any further adjustment against its assessment of how regional developments are feeding through to domestic conditions and whether the baseline scenario remains on track. It was a careful hedge, but not a retreat: the direction of travel was left in no doubt.
On bond markets, Himino noted that the recent rise in long-term interest rates reflects broader global anxiety about inflation rather than any Japan-specific deterioration. He added that the BOJ will consult market participants and assess market functionality as it works through its review of bond purchase tapering plans, a process that carries its own sensitivity given the scale of the bank’s balance sheet and the risk of disorderly moves in the JGB market.
Separately, and earlier in the session, Finance Minister Katayama made remarks that added a fiscal dimension to the picture. She said the government would monitor closely how Middle East developments affect Japanese prices and economic conditions, and committed to responding in a timely manner to cushion the impact on households. The comments reflect growing political awareness that energy-driven inflation is becoming a cost-of-living issue requiring an active government response, not just a central bank problem.
Also separately, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Ozaki addressed speculation about a possible change to Japan’s consumption tax, saying the government was aware of the reports in circulation but that no decision had been made. He declined to prejudge the outcome, a formulation that neither extinguishes the speculation nor confirms it.
Taken together, the day’s official communications sketch a Japan in which monetary tightening remains the destination, the fiscal authorities are positioning to absorb some of the inflationary shock at the household level, and a tax debate is quietly running in the background. For markets, Himino’s testimony was the headline; but the full picture is more complex.
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Himino’s Diet testimony keeps the BOJ’s tightening signal intact, an important reassurance for yen markets at a moment when Middle East uncertainty has clouded the rate outlook across Asia. The explicit commitment to continued rate rises, framed around economic activity, prices and financial conditions, leaves the direction of travel unambiguous even as the pace remains conditional. Rising long-term yields, which Himino acknowledged reflect global inflation concerns, will complicate the BOJ’s bond tapering review: moving too fast on reducing purchases could steepen the curve further at a politically sensitive time
