BOJ Is Likely to Raise Interest Rate in April, Ex-Official Says

The Bank of Japan will probably increase its benchmark rate this month to avoid falling behind on controlling inflation, according to a former executive director at the central bank.

“If I were in the BOJ’s position, I’d say it’s about time to act,” Masaaki Kaizuka, the former director of the central bank’s economics department, said in an interview Wednesday. “The war is making the economic environment inflationary and if inflation expectations really start to take off, that will raise the risk of falling behind the curve.”