日本央行行长植田和男：若经济如预期将继续加息，将在特殊情况下灵活开展债券操作

Core Viewpoint - The Bank of Japan (BOJ) maintains its policy interest rate at 0.75%, aligning with market expectations, while raising its medium- to long-term inflation forecasts, indicating a more optimistic assessment of price pressures [1] Group 1: Interest Rate Policy - The BOJ's Governor, Kazuo Ueda, stated that underlying inflation is expected to continue rising moderately, and if the economic situation develops as anticipated, the bank will continue to raise interest rates [1] - BOJ members Takeda and Tamura proposed modifying the wording of the outlook report, but their proposal was voted down [1] - Ueda noted that the financial environment remains accommodative following the December rate hike, and the effects of the rate increase on the real economy and prices will take time to materialize [1] Group 2: Inflation and Economic Outlook - Ueda emphasized that inflation is unlikely to significantly exceed the latest forecasts, with overall inflation likely to fall below the 2% target as potential inflation approaches 2% [2] - The BOJ will closely monitor even minor fluctuations in exchange rates and will collaborate with the government to communicate its stance on interest rate hikes [2] - Ueda indicated that the timing of potential rate hikes will consider price changes in April, but this is just one factor in policy decisions [2] Group 3: Currency and Bond Market - The yen continued to weaken during the press conference, with the USD/JPY exchange rate surpassing 159 for the first time since January 14 [3] - Ueda mentioned that the BOJ may conduct bond operations flexibly under special circumstances to encourage stable yield formation, particularly due to instability in the supply and demand of long-term Japanese government bonds influenced by fiscal year-end factors [1][2]