Japan
Comment: Bank of Japan update
The Bank of Japan's monetary policy committee meets this week with an interest rate decision expected on Friday. With any ideas of an imminent rate hike all but ruled out, the emerging consensus is that the shift could come in July.
BoJ's Fukui on the outlook for Japan's economy
In the speech 'The outlook for Japan's economy and the conduct of monetary policy' given on 15 May Toshihiko Fukui of the Bank of Japan said completing the process of reducing excess funds in the banking system and raising short-term interest rates are…
BoJ Outlook for economic activity & prices, Apr 06
The Bank of Japan published the English version of its April 2006 Outlook for economic activity and prices report on 1 May. In the report the BoJ said Japan's economy continues to recover steadily.
BoJ names new executive director for operations
The Bank of Japan said Tuesday 9 May that it has promoted Hajime Mizuno, director-general of the BoJ's operations department, to the post of executive director in charge of operations and payment and settlement systems.
Japan discovers misprints in yen notes
Japan's high-tech money-printing bureau was embarrassed on Tuesday 9 May when 39,500 bills were found to be misprinted.
Philippines, Japan sign currency swap
The Philippine central bank and the Bank of Japan have signed a currency swap arrangement letting both countries draw from each other's foreign reserves for any "immediate need".
Paper on political authorities and central banks
The Working Paper "Do interactions between political authorities and central banks influence FX interventions? Evidence from Japan" published April 2006 proposes a model that takes account explicitly of differences in exchange rate objective between…
Too early to declare end of deflation - Koizumi
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told reporters on Tuesday 2 May that it's too early to declare an end to deflation in Japan.
East Asia’s policy dilemmas
Regional cooperation on exchange rates would suit East Asia, but poor relations between China and Japan mean it is unlikely, argues Yung Chul Park
Tanigaki wants orderly fx moves
Japan's finance minister Sadakazu Tanigaki said on Tuesday 25 April that sudden exchange rate movements seen after the recent Group of Seven meeting were undesirable.
Comment: Sweden sheds reserve dollars
The Swedish Riksbank dropped a bit of a bombshell on international currency markets on Friday 21 April by announcing a significant reduction in the share of dollars and yen in its foreign reserves portfolio. Although Sweden has a relatively small…
BoJ overpays on travel expenses
The Bank of Japan has paid overstated amounts of domestic travel expenses claimed by some of its personnel and has been told by the Board of Audit of Japan to correct the problem, Jiji Press reported Thursday 20 April.
Comment: Transparent monetary policy
The "transparency revolution" in modern monetary policy is little over a decade old. Just recently, some commentators have started to ask whether this development can go too far. Although it certainly could in theory, it probably hasn't yet.
BoJ's Muto says rate shift depends on data
Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Toshiro Muto said Thursday 20 April that the central bank will decide on when to end its zero rate policy by analysing various economic data.
BoJ minutes show govt urged zero rates
The Bank of Japan was urged by the government to keep interest rates at zero when it ended its ultra-easy monetary policy last month, but the BoJ noted the risks of policy becoming too accommodative, minutes released Friday 14 April showed.
Bank of Japan Monthly Report, April 2006
The Bank of Japan published the English version of its April 2006 monthly report on Thursday 13 April. In the report the BOJ left its positive assessment of the nation's economy unchanged, citing rising production and exports as well as a pickup in…
BoJ's Fukui watching long-term rates closely
Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui voiced concern over rising long-term interest rates on Wednesday 12 April as data showed further evidence of a solid economic recovery.
BoJ's Fukui says 'no deviation' from reserve level
Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui said Tuesday 11 April there has been "no deviation" in the planned pace of reduction in commercial banks' current account reserves held at the BoJ.
International Journal of Central Banking, Mar 06
The March 2006 issue of the International Journal of Central Banking has been published. The latest edition contains five articles including 'The Bank of Japan's monetary policy and bank risk premiums in the money market,' and 'Using market information…
Tanigaki says Japan hasn't escaped deflation yet
Japanese Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki said Saturday 8 April that the world's second-biggest economy has yet to beat deflation fully.
Ex-BoJ's Taya sees one rate rise by year-end
The Bank of Japan is expected to raise interest rates once by the end of the year and twice in 2007, a former board member said on Thursday 6 April.
Euro disaster a salutary lesson in what not to do
According to this recent article, the idea of a single currency area for countries like China, Japan, and Korea has certain obvious appeal. However, it is a big stretch to assume that a single currency union is either the best way for them to reap those…
Comment: Exposed currencies cause jitters
The Central Bank of Iceland raised interest rates by 75 basis points last week. The central bank is concerned over the possibility of further declines in the Icelandic krona, which has fallen 12% against the US dollar this year.
Comment: Developments in March
March was an eventful month in central banking circles. The Bank of Japan put an end to its "quantitative easing" policy and attention now turns to the timing of its first interest rate increase.