BOJ’s Ueda hints at September rate hike as bets on move mount

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent meets with Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda on the sidelines of a Group of 20 finance ministers' and central bankers' meeting in Asheville, North Carolina, on Tuesday. | JIJI

BLOOMBERG

Sep 2, 2026

Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda said the bank’s board would decide on policy with upside price risks in mind, hinting that a rate hike is likely when authorities convene for a board meeting later this month.

The central bank will have a thorough debate on policy when it gathers on Sept. 17-18, as it does at every meeting, Ueda told reporters after a meeting of Group of 20 finance ministers and central bankers in Asheville, North Carolina. Ueda appeared at a joint press briefing with Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama.

“From the perspective of conducting policy with a risk-management approach as the underlying inflation rate approaches 2%, we have come to believe that we need to pay greater attention than before to upside risks in our policy conduct,” Ueda said.

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