News On Japan

BOJ Keeps Policy Rate Steady at Around 1.0%

TOKYO - The Bank of Japan kept its policy rate unchanged at around 1.0% on July 31, warning that higher crude oil costs and the weaker yen could push up prices across a broad range of consumer goods.

The central bank decided to maintain its existing monetary policy at the conclusion of a two-day policy meeting.

In its quarterly outlook report released after the meeting, the BOJ said companies were passing higher costs on to customers at a "somewhat faster pace" following the rise in crude oil prices.

The bank said those increases were likely to spread to a wide range of goods at the consumer level.

Regarding foreign exchange movements, the BOJ said higher import prices caused by the yen's depreciation would act to push up prices across a broad range of products.

Source: TBS

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Typhoon No. 13 (Dolphin), located near Wake Island and moving west-northwest as of 5 a.m. on July 31, is forecast to become the strongest typhoon of the year as it heads toward the Ogasawara Islands, where heavy rain, violent winds and extremely rough seas are expected early next week.

Kyushu Shinkansen services between Hakata and Kumamoto resumed on a reduced schedule on July 31 after a three-day suspension caused by the earthquake, while extensive rail damage has left no timetable for reopening the section south to Kagoshima-Chuo.

Rescue operations continued across Kumamoto Prefecture as the critical 72-hour period approached following the July 28 earthquake that registered the maximum seismic intensity of 7, with authorities confirming 34 deaths by July 30.

The Kego Fault Zone running through central Fukuoka could produce an earthquake with a maximum seismic intensity of 7, leaving 1,800 people dead, 800 disaster-related deaths and 319,000 evacuees, according to prefectural damage estimates, as experts warn that an unruptured section may remain under stress.

The death toll from the powerful Kumamoto earthquake rose to 30 as of 12:30 p.m. on July 30, including people whose deaths were still being investigated for a possible connection to the disaster, while rescue crews continued searching collapsed buildings and other damaged sites.

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