Bank of Japan Governor: The central bank will analyze data at the March and April meetings to decide whether to raise interest rates.

Bank of Japan Governor Kachikoda Kazuo stated that the central bank will carefully study the data at the meetings in March and April to decide whether to raise interest rates, leaving the possibility of a rate hike in the near future. In an interview, Kachikoda Kazuo said that if Japan makes progress in achieving economic and price forecasts, the central bank will continue to raise interest rates. According to the latest forecast released in January, the Bank of Japan expects the core inflation rate to reach the 2% target in the second half of fiscal year 2026 to fiscal year 2027. Kachikoda stated that although the forecast has not changed significantly, if the results of spring wage negotiations between companies and unions are stronger than expected, the time to achieve the central bank's target may be advanced. Responding to the widespread market expectations that the Bank of Japan may raise interest rates in April, Kachikoda stated, "We will hold policy meetings in March and April, and carefully analyze existing data to make decisions." According to reports, Kachikoda also stated that the Bank of Japan may not necessarily need to wait for the results of the quarterly Tankan survey on April 1 when deciding whether to raise interest rates, as the central bank conducts multiple other surveys concurrently.