Japan
Japan's Tanigaki sees continuity with Paulson
Japanese Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki said Wednesday 31 May that he does not believe, at least for now, that there will be a change in the U.S. foreign exchange policy under Treasury Secretary nominee Henry Paulson.
Rybinski on inflation targeting, challenges ahead
In the speech 'Inflation targeting and the challenges ahead' given on 18 May Krzysztof Rybinski of the National Bank of Poland said that since 1990, when the pioneering Reserve Bank of New Zealand first introduced inflation targeting, over twenty…
New Zealand hosts EMEAP central bank governors
Central bank governors from major countries in the region gathered in New Zealand over the weekend to discuss common issues, Reserve Bank of New Zealand governor Alan Bollard said Monday 29 May.
Fukui says zero rate policy depends on economy
Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui said in parliamentary testimony on Tuesday 30 May that ending the central bank's zero interest rate policy depends on economic growth and inflation.
Central bankers eye Norway's clarity on rates
According to this article published by the Financial Times on Friday 26 May, Norges Bank's "subversive" transparency is attracting a great deal of attention in central banking circles.
China's reserve center to open in July
The China International Reserve Center will open in Shanghai this July, according to the China Knowledge website.
BOJ member sees reserve cut problem
According to minutes of the Bank of Japan's April 10-11 board meeting, published Wednesday 24 May, a policy maker said a rapid reduction in reserves by the central bank may spur speculation of an interest-rate increase from near zero.
Bank of Japan Monthly Report, May 2006
The Bank of Japan published the English version of its May 2006 monthly report on Tuesday 23 May. In the report the BOJ left its economic assessment unchanged, but reiterated that the economy is recovering steadily.
BOJ's Fukui sees rates rising slowly - report
The Bank of Japan will raise interest rates gradually to keep inflation under control while also giving the economy time to recover, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun quoted BOJ governor Toshihiko Fukui as saying in an interview published Tuesday 23 May.
Rato says more Fed hikes may be needed
International Monetary Fund chief Rodrigo Rato said on Monday 22 May that the Federal Reserve may need to continue raising interest rates depending upon how US economic conditions evolve.
As yuan breaches 8, focus shifts to Japan
According to this article published Wednesday 17 May, the dollar has fallen 6.4 percent against the yen this year, and Japanese officials aren't happy about it.
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.