A member of the Bank of Japan's Policy Board: Possible interest rate hike at the next policy meeting.

According to the summary of the policy meeting opinions released on Tuesday, April 27th to 28th, a member of the Bank of Japan's deliberation committee indicated that the central bank could potentially raise interest rates at the next meeting or a subsequent meeting. One member stated that if the risk of inflation increasing, the authorities would need to raise interest rates at a faster pace; another member said that if the conflict in Iran continues, policy rates need to be raised to a neutral level; another member mentioned that unless there are clear signs of economic slowdown, the central bank should raise interest rates as soon as possible; a member pointed out that Japan's real interest rates are among the lowest globally; another member stated that raising rates based on economic and inflation developments is appropriate; a member said that the main downside risk facing the economy comes from inflation; while another member mentioned that due to the conflict in the Middle East, the central bank needs to adopt a wait-and-see approach.