TOKYO, March 10 (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s stance on monetary policy came under scrutiny on Tuesday when a lawmaker grilled her finance minister on whether she had pressured the central bank chief to hold off on raising rates further.
Although legally independent, the Bank of Japan has often faced political pressure to pump up stimulus or halt unwanted slides in the yen with rate hikes.
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Speculation that dovish premier Takaichi would pressure the BOJ to go slow on rate hikes heightened after a media report that she had voiced reservations about additional tightening in a meeting with Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda last month.
Asked about the report by an opposition lawmaker, Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said she had nothing to add beyond what Ueda told reporters after the meeting, including that Takaichi made no specific policy request.
Japan’s Takaichi faces fresh scrutiny over BOJ policy stance
