One of the Bank of Japan’s newest board members alluded to a possible upward revision to the central bank’s inflation view this month, an outcome that would keep open the possibility of another rate increase this year.
"Inflation for rice and food-related items has been stronger than expected,” Junko Koeda said Monday in her first media interview since joining the board in March. "I’m closely watching potential secondary effects on underlying inflation from rice, which is a staple food.”
Koeda spoke before U.S. President Donald Trump announced a new tariff level of 25% on Japan. The board member stressed there are high economic uncertainties stemming from the U.S. levies as she underscored the need to assess incoming data before considering any policy moves.
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