日央行前审议委员：日美峰会前日元若再贬，最早或于3月加息

Group 1 - The Bank of Japan may raise interest rates as early as March if the yen continues to decline before the upcoming Japan-US summit [1] - Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to visit Washington around the time of the Bank of Japan's next policy meeting on March 18-19 [1] - The former policy committee member, Makoto Sakurai, suggests that the best way to combat yen depreciation is through interest rate hikes rather than currency intervention [1] Group 2 - Sakurai predicts that the Bank of Japan may need to raise rates twice in both 2026 and 2027, bringing the policy rate to 1.75%, a neutral level for the economy [2] - The Bank of Japan ended a decade-long stimulus program in 2024 and has raised rates multiple times, including a recent increase to 0.75%, the highest in 30 years [2] - The weak yen has become a political challenge for Japanese policymakers, as it raises import costs for fuel and food, negatively impacting households and retailers [2] Group 3 - The yen has depreciated approximately 8% since Kishida took office in October, reaching an 18-month low of 159.45 in January [2] - Currently, the yen is hovering around 155, significantly lower than the 147 level before Kishida's administration [3]