BOJ Signals Possible Rate Hike Amid Rising Food, Oil, and Trade Risks

Post by : Jyoti Gupta

Photo:Reuters

Japan’s central bank, called the Bank of Japan, has decided not to raise interest rates for now. They say they want to wait and see what happens because there are some big risks to Japan’s economy. One risk is that new U.S. tariffs could hurt Japan’s businesses, especially later this year. That means the bank is being careful and is not planning to raise rates soon.

But the bank also warned that prices in Japan are going up, especially for food and oil. If these prices keep rising, it could make everything more expensive for people in Japan. The bank’s leader, Kazuo Ueda, said that if the cost of food and oil keeps climbing—especially because of problems in the Middle East—then inflation (when prices go up a lot) could become a bigger problem.

Some experts think that if prices keep rising, the bank might have to raise interest rates later this year to stop inflation from getting too high. For now, the bank is watching closely and will decide what to do next based on how things change. This means people and businesses in Japan will have to wait and see if rates go up later in the year.

June 18, 2025 5:04 p.m. 1182

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