Japan finance minister Suzuki
- Strong trend of wage hikes happening now
- This year's wage hikes to outpace last year's
- Govt to mobilise all policy steps available to continue the wave of wage hikes
- Specific monetary policy up to BOJ to decide
- Won't comment on any BOJ policy steps to be taken next week
- Japan is no longer in deflation
Suzuki can talk away all he likes, we really need to hear from Ueda. The Bank of Japan Governor will hand down the board's decision next Tuesday sometime after 0230 GMT.
Suzuki saying "Japan is no longer in deflation" indicates a BoJ policy tightening could be justified. But Ueda has disappointed on that front time and time again.