Some in BOJ called for faster rate hikes, April minutes show

TOKYO - Some Bank of Japan board members called for raising interest rates more swiftly if the Middle East conflict is prolonged, to avoid underlying inflation from overshooting, minutes of the central bank's April meeting showed on Friday.

One member said the BOJ should not hesitate accelerating the pace of rate hikes, such as at a pace of once every few months, the minutes showed.

The BOJ kept interest rates steady at the April meeting but three in the nine-member board proposed raising the policy rate to 1%. The proposal was voted down. The central bank raised rates to that level at a subsequent meeting in June.

(Reporting by Leika Kihara; Editing by Himani Sarkar)

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This story was originally published June 18, 2026 at 8:15 PM.