{
  "id": 4671150,
  "title": "Bessent expects Japan to take action to boost yen, signals BOJ rate-hike chance",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/bessent-expects-japan-to-take-action-to-boost-yen-signals-boj-rate",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-31T16:10:32.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Finance",
    "slug": "yahoo-finance",
    "url": "https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/currencies/articles/bessent-says-believes-japan-action-151120273.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent revealed his belief that Japan's government and central bank will act, resulting in a stronger yen, as reported by CNBC on Monday. This insight gives a high probability of a Bank of Japan interest rate increase in the upcoming September meeting. Bessent made these remarks following a prior statement to Reuters, in which he expressed confidence that BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda would take the correct action on the monetary policy front to tackle the declining yen.\n\nThe U.S. Treasury Secretary, speaking at a Group of 20 finance leaders gathering in Asheville, North Carolina, indicated that the Japanese government and the Bank of Japan (BOJ) would implement measures to strengthen the yen. When asked if this meant raising interest rates, Bessent stated that the market had already priced that in.\n\nThe yen experienced a gain against the dollar following Bessent's statements, which solidified the prevailing market expectations of a BOJ rate hike in September. The dollar was trading at 159.73 yen on Monday, still near the 160 mark that could signal a potential yen-buying intervention.\n\nBessent had previously announced his intention to meet with BOJ Governor Ueda during the sidelines of the G20 meetings, currently happening on Monday and Tuesday. According to sources, the BOJ is expected to raise rates as early as its September 17-18 meeting and possibly more aggressively, with each hike occurring roughly once every three months thereafter.\n\nThe BOJ has increased interest rates once before, in June. A rate hike next month, instead of in October, may reinforce market predictions that the BOJ will raise rates consistently every quarter, analysts suggested. A weaker yen has led to an increase in import prices and overall inflation, causing issues for Japanese policymakers. Japan's slow rate hikes have been partly blamed for the widening interest rate divergence between Japan and the U.S. In July, Japan and the U.S. conducted a joint yen-buying intervention, aiming to prevent a sustained weakening of the currency and Japanese government bonds from affecting global markets. Bessent told Reuters that he did not perceive the recent currency moves as disorderly, indicating that the U.S. was not inclined to further intervene in the market.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "CNA - Business",
        "title": "Bessent says he believes Japan will take action leading to stronger yen",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/bessent-says-he-believes-japan-will-take-action-leading-to-stronger",
        "published": "2026-08-31T15:05:06.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Investing.com",
        "title": "Bessent says he believes Japan will take action leading to stronger yen",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/bessent-says-he-believes-japan-will-take-action-leading-to-stronger-4661562",
        "published": "2026-08-31T15:12:30.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}