Global Market: BOJ sees stronger inflation ahead, June minutes show

Some members of the Bank of Japan's (BOJ) policy board expect consumer inflation to receive a significant boost in the second half of the current fiscal year as companies prepare to raise prices across a broad range of goods, according to the minutes of the central bank's June policy meeting released on Wednesday, Reuters reported.

Policymakers said the expected wave of corporate price increases could reinforce underlying inflation, supporting the BOJ's assessment that price pressures remain resilient despite global economic uncertainties.

The minutes also revealed a growing divergence within the board over the pace of monetary tightening. Two of the eight board members argued for faster interest rate increases to move the policy rate closer to what is considered a neutral level for the economy, signalling a more hawkish stance than the majority of policymakers.


The June meeting took place without BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda, who was absent due to hospitalisation.

At the meeting, the BOJ raised its short-term policy interest rate to 1%, the highest level in 31 years. Reuters reported that the decision reflected mounting inflationary pressures driven by higher fuel costs linked to the Middle East conflict, persistent weakness in the yen, and continued tightness in Japan's labour market.

The meeting minutes suggest that while the central bank remains cautious, some policymakers are becoming increasingly concerned that sustained price increases could warrant a quicker path toward policy normalisation. The discussions underscore the BOJ's ongoing challenge of balancing inflation risks against the need to support economic growth as Japan gradually exits years of ultra-loose monetary policy.