日本央行货币政策前瞻：政策路径转向防御性观望 将聚焦于缩表与债务风险

Core Viewpoint - The Bank of Japan is facing a challenging environment characterized by global economic uncertainty and rising geopolitical risks, leading to a cautious approach in its monetary policy decisions [1][6]. Group 1: Monetary Policy Decisions - The Bank of Japan is expected to maintain its current interest rate levels during the upcoming monetary policy meeting, with a focus on forward guidance regarding balance sheet reduction and responses to external shocks [1][8]. - There is a growing consensus among economists that the likelihood of interest rate hikes in 2023 is close to zero, with some institutions pushing the first rate hike to Q1 2026 [2][3]. Group 2: Economic Challenges - The uncertainty surrounding US-Japan trade negotiations has created a cautious stance on interest rate hikes, with warnings that US tariffs could lead to a negative cycle of export collapse, consumption shrinkage, and falling inflation by 2026 [2][4]. - Japan's government debt servicing costs have risen to 24% of the budget, the highest in a decade, due to increasing bond yields, raising concerns about fiscal sustainability [4][5]. Group 3: Market Reactions and Predictions - A majority of economists predict that the Bank of Japan will slow its pace of balance sheet reduction, with expectations of reducing quarterly bond purchases from 4 trillion yen to between 2 trillion and 3.7 trillion yen starting in April 2024 [4][8]. - The OECD has downgraded Japan's GDP growth forecast for 2025 to 0.7%, emphasizing that further rate hikes depend on domestic demand recovery and external risk mitigation [6][8]. Group 4: Policy Dilemmas - The Bank of Japan is caught in a "trilemma" of managing debt risks, preventing yen depreciation, and mitigating external shocks, which limits its policy options [7][8]. - The central bank's future monetary policy will focus on a cautious and data-driven approach, prioritizing stability in the face of trade tensions and market volatility [8].