Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki had an interview with Japan’s media, Nikkei, over the weekend:
- “The Bank of Japan holds jurisdiction over monetary policy. But there will be a phase when interest rates go up”
He didn’t give a time frame so this is not a really helpful comment.
On the yen:
- there are pros and cons to its moves that have varying effects on Japan’s exporters and firms reliant on imports
- declined to comment on whether a weak yen, or a strong yen, was desirable for the economy
Again, not much assistance.