Kiuchi told reporters after a Cabinet meeting on Nov. 2 the government will "carefully decide" whether to declare an end to deflation, weighing underlying price trends and background factors. He said the core basis for judgment is the supply-demand gap and authorities will "carefully watch" whether it can remain positive, including its future trajectory. Kiuchi added that escaping deflation requires not only ending sustained price declines but also ensuring prices do not revert. Referring to the

Kiuchi told reporters after a Cabinet meeting on Nov. 2 the government will "carefully decide" whether to declare an end to deflation, weighing underlying price trends and background factors. He said the core basis for judgment is the supply-demand gap and authorities will "carefully watch" whether it can remain positive, including its future trajectory. Kiuchi added that escaping deflation requires not only ending sustained price declines but also ensuring prices do not revert. Referring to the Bank of Japan's Oct. 30 comment that core inflation is "basically in line" with the 2% target, he said he expects the Bank of Japan to continue to operate policy appropriately to achieve price stability and that he "respects" the bank's approach to accelerating ETF sales.