Former Bank of Japan executive Kenzo Yamamoto said the next BOJ rate increase is likely to occur before December, sooner than the December move most economists expect. He pointed to a BOJ measure of potential inflation excluding fresh food and state aid that has averaged about 3% over the past four years, above the 2% target. By contrast, Japan’s core CPI excluding only fresh food was 1.4% in May, a level Yamamoto attributed largely to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s cost-of-living relief measur

The Bank of Japan appointed Ayano Sato, seen as supportive of easy policy, to the nine-member policy board, raising the odds of two dissenting votes against future rate hikes even as the board’s overall tilt remains hawkish. The appointment could slow the pace of tightening; the board’s two most hawkish members, Tamura and Takada, are due to leave in July next year, adding uncertainty to the tightening path. Sato will hold a press briefing Tuesday at 17:00 Tokyo (16:00 Beijing); markets will watch whether she aligns with Asada in opposing further tightening. Her formal policy debut is the July 30-31 meeting, where the BoJ is widely expected to keep rates unchanged. Traders will balance visible monetary caution from Sanae Takaichi, linked to financing costs for her government investment plan, against the BoJ’s stated intent to tighten further to counter energy-driven price pressures.

根據美國能源部數據，美國戰略石油儲備（SPR）原油庫存上週減少約550萬桶，降至3.257億桶，創1983年以來最低水平。