Price Stability Target Close to Being Achieved: BOJ Policymaker

   Tokyo, July 3 (Jiji Press)--A Bank of Japan policymaker suggested Thursday that the central bank is close to achieving its 2 pct inflation target while showing its plan to continue raising interest rates gradually.
   "As far as recent domestic developments suggest, I believe Japan's economy is at a stage where the price stability target is close to being achieved," Hajime Takata, a member of the BOJ's Policy Board, said at a meeting in Tsu, Mie Prefecture, central Japan.
   Apparently with U.S. President Donald Trump's high tariff policy in mind, Takata said that the BOJ is now suspending interest rate hikes. But the BOJ official said that the bank should continue to raise its policy rate after examining the situation for a certain period of time.
   Takata cited the need to keep a close watch on possible negative impacts of the U.S. high tariff policy, such as a slowdown in U.S.-bound exports. Still, he said that corporate profits "have remained on an improving trend recently" and that private consumption is "expected to continue increasing moderately."
   The scenario in which the price stability target is close to being achieved will "remain broadly unchanged," Takata said while showing his intention to closely monitor whether the momentum for the attainment of the price target, which has finally started to operate, will be dampened by the U.S. tariff policy or not.

(2025/07/03-12:57)