• Must continue wage hikes next year and thereafter to defeat deflation
  • Must broaden wage hikes to workers nationwide and in every prefecture
  • Government won't meddle with BOJ's independent policy-making (when asked about March timing)

These comments are mostly just a rehash of what Kishida and BOJ governor Ueda has mentioned earlier. The more relevant headlines for the Japanese yen now are that related to the outcome of the spring wage negotiations. And we are to hear more of that in the days to come.