Group 1 - Japanese Prime Minister Kishi Nobuo expressed a strong desire for the Bank of Japan to achieve inflation driven by wage growth rather than food price increases, indicating a preference for maintaining low interest rates [1] - Kishi highlighted the risk of returning to deflation, which could lead to delayed consumer spending, harm corporate profits, and suppress wage growth [1] - The government plans to implement a package of measures to alleviate the impact of rising living costs and increase investment in growth sectors to boost corporate profits and consumer confidence [1] Group 2 - The Bank of Japan maintained a 0.5% interest rate but Governor Ueda Kazuo signaled that a rate hike could occur as early as December if companies confirm sustained wage increases [2] - Analysts expect the next rate hike to occur in December or January, with potential delays possibly leading to further depreciation of the yen, increasing import costs and overall inflation [2] - The Japanese core consumer inflation rate reached 2.9% in September, remaining above the Bank of Japan's 2% target due to high food prices, putting pressure on the central bank to raise borrowing costs [2]