{
  "id": 8173607,
  "title": "BOJ raises interest rates to 31-year high in widely expected move",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/boj-raises-interest-rates-to-31-year-high-in-widely-expected-move-8173607",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-18T04:57:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/world/20260918/boj-raises-interest-rates-to-31-year-high-in-widely-expected-move"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "The Bank of Japan raised interest rates to 1.25 percent, a 31-year high, in a widely expected move. According to The Korea Times, the decision was made with a 7-2 vote at a two-day policy meeting that ended on Friday. Board members Toichiro Asada and Ayano Sato dissented to the decision.\n\nThe rate hike aims to prevent inflation from exceeding the 2 percent target. As reported by Investing.com, Hirofumi Suzuki, Chief FX Strategist at SMBC in Tokyo, noted that the rate hike was expected, but the two dissenting votes were a modest surprise. The outcome tempered expectations for further rate hikes, conveying a dovish impression.\n\nThe yen initially weakened following the decision, and attention turned to Governor Ueda's inflation outlook and policy stance at the press conference. According to FXStreet, the USD/JPY pair surged to near 156.95 after the Bank of Japan's monetary policy decision. Investors awaited Governor Ueda's press conference for fresh cues on the central bank's monetary tightening path.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun",
        "title": "BOJ Raises Interest Rates to 31-Year High in Widely Expected Move (Update 1)",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/boj-raises-interest-rates-to-31-year-high-in-widely-expected-move",
        "published": "2026-09-18T03:00:42.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Business Recorder",
        "title": "BOJ raises interest rates to 31-year high in widely expected move",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/boj-raises-interest-rates-to-31-year-high-in-widely-expected-move-8161765",
        "published": "2026-09-18T03:10:29.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "BOJ raises interest rates to 31-year high in widely expected move",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/boj-raises-interest-rates-to-31-year-high-in-widely-expected-move-8168460",
        "published": "2026-09-18T04:27:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}