It is my great pleasure to have the opportunity today to exchange views with a distinguished gathering of business leaders in the Kansai region. I would like to take this chance to express my sincerest gratitude for your cooperation with the activities of the Bank of Japan's branches in Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto. The last two meetings with business leaders in the Kansai region were held online due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. I am delighted to meet and exchange views with you in person for the first time in three years. At the outset, I will talk about developments in Japan's economic activity and ... (full story)

• Hopes to support positive economic cycle by maintaining monetary easing. • Expects Japan's consumption to increase moderately. • Economy is picking up, likely to continue recovering. One day, you get intervention. The next, you get this. It's baffling really. The BOJ will continue to have their work cut out for them if this is going to be the narrative moving forward. USD/JPY is already up another 0.6% to 144.20 on the day, as traders are slowly working their way back towards the 145.00 mark. (full story)