Leika Kihara

Japan's core inflation accelerated in November as rising food and fuel costs hit households, data showed on Friday, keeping the central bank under pressure to raise interest rates.

The news comes in the wake of the Bank of Japan's decision to maintain interest rates at 0.25% on Thursday.

In rare criticism of its past policies, the Bank of Japan said former governor Haruhiko Kuroda's stimulus didn't change consumer psychology as much as planned, continuing a symbolic shift away from his decade of policy radicalism.

Some Bank of Japan policymakers saw conditions falling into place for an imminent rate hike, with one predicting a move "in the near future," a

Some firms are already examining by how much they could raise pay this year, the central bank says

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda attends a news conference in Tokyo, on Dec. 19, 2024. Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters

Under its current guidance, the BOJ pledges to continue raising its short-term policy rate if economic and price developments move in line with its forecasts

“The outlook of real wage is very important. From our perspective, a weak yen would work to push up inflation through higher import costs,” Mimura, vice

The Bank of Japan has raised interest rates to their highest since the 2008 global financial crisis, underscoring its confidence that rising wages will keep inflation stable around its two per cent target.

(Reuters) -The Bank of Japan raised interest rates on Friday to their highest since the 2008 global financial crisis and revised up its inflation forecasts, underscoring its confidence that rising wages will keep inflation stable around its 2% target.