(April 9) : The Bank of Japan will probably increase its benchmark rate this month to avoid falling behind on controlling inflation, according to a former executive director at the central bank. BOJ watchers are waiting to see if Governor Kazuo Ueda will give a clear signal on the likely outcome of the rate decision ahead of a policy announcement on April 28 as he did in December before a rate increase. Late last month, the central bank released a new set of data showing that price growth is around the BOJ’s 2% target. “It looks pretty likely they’re going to move this time.”In December Ueda said the central bank would consider the pros and cons of raising the rate at its meeting, a comment widely seen as a signal that the BOJ would hike. “The BOJ probably wouldn’t write it explicitly in the Outlook Report, but the ‘Trump risk’ is probably the economy’s biggest risk factor.”

Source: The Edge Markets April 08, 2026 21:56 UTC