BoJ Minutes: Calls for gradual and timely rate increase

The Bank of Japan (BoJ) board members shared their views on the monetary policy outlook on Thursday, per the BoJ Minutes of the July meeting.  

Key quotes

Members shared a view over the need for vigilance to the risk of inflation overshoot.

Many members said it was appropriate to raise rates to 0.25%, adjusting the degree of monetary support.

A few members said it was appropriate to adjust the degree of monetary support moderately.

One member said economic conditions were good enough to somewhat push up the current very low policy rate.

One member said they must be vigilant to the impact of rising inflation, driven in part by the weak yen, on household sentiment and small firms' costs.

A few members said it was appropriate to gradually adjust very low rates now to avoid being forced to hike rates rapidly later.

One member said the BOJ must adjust the degree of monetary support further if the strength of capital expenditure and wage growth could be confirmed.

One member said they must carefully look at various risks in proceeding with monetary normalisation.

One member said BOJ must avoid creating too much market expectation of future rate hikes as inflation expectations have yet to be anchored at 2%

One member said it was difficult to move rates mechanically as there was high uncertainty on Japan's neutral rate. 

One member said it was difficult to move rates mechanically as there was high uncertainty on Japan's neutral rate level

Cabinet minister representative said must be vigilant to impact of weak yen, rising inflation on households' purchasing power, downside risks to overseas economies

Market reaction to the BoJ Minutes

At the time of writing, USD/JPY was down 0.01% on the day at 144.74. 

Bank of Japan FAQs

What is the Bank of Japan?

The Bank of Japan (BoJ) is the Japanese central bank, which sets monetary policy in the country. Its mandate is to issue banknotes and carry out currency and monetary control to ensure price stability, which means an inflation target of around 2%.

What has been the Bank of Japan’s policy?

The Bank of Japan has embarked in an ultra-loose monetary policy since 2013 in order to stimulate the economy and fuel inflation amid a low-inflationary environment. The bank’s policy is based on Quantitative and Qualitative Easing (QQE), or printing notes to buy assets such as government or corporate bonds to provide liquidity. In 2016, the bank doubled down on its strategy and further loosened policy by first introducing negative interest rates and then directly controlling the yield of its 10-year government bonds.

How do Bank of Japan’s decisions influence the Japanese Yen?

The Bank’s massive stimulus has caused the Yen to depreciate against its main currency peers. This process has exacerbated more recently due to an increasing policy divergence between the Bank of Japan and other main central banks, which have opted to increase interest rates sharply to fight decades-high levels of inflation. The BoJ’s policy of holding down rates has led to a widening differential with other currencies, dragging down the value of the Yen.

Is the Bank of Japan’s ultra-loose policy likely to change soon?

A weaker Yen and the spike in global energy prices have led to an increase in Japanese inflation, which has exceeded the BoJ’s 2% target. With wage inflation becoming a cause of concern, the BoJ looks to move away from ultra loose policy, while trying to avoid slowing the activity too much.