A Refinitiv survey shows most economists expect the Bank of Japan to lift rates again before year-end, with some penciling an October move and continued tightening through next year. 86% forecast a 25bp hike to 1.25% by end-Q4, up from 79% in June. Respondents said the BOJ faces a trade-off: maintaining low rates risks stoking inflation via a weaker yen, while faster tightening would raise debt-servicing costs and weigh on a fragile recovery. Rising price pressure and yen weakness have pushed th

A Refinitiv survey shows most economists expect the Bank of Japan to lift rates again before year-end, with some penciling an October move and continued tightening through next year. 86% forecast a 25bp hike to 1.25% by end-Q4, up from 79% in June. Respondents said the BOJ faces a trade-off: maintaining low rates risks stoking inflation via a weaker yen, while faster tightening would raise debt-servicing costs and weigh on a fragile recovery. Rising price pressure and yen weakness have pushed the BOJ toward a more cautious, roughly semiannual hiking cadence; Meiji Yasuda Research Institute senior economist Kazutaka Maeda said the pace could accelerate and he expects a October hike. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has voiced caution on raising rates.