Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda stated that the central bank will closely study incoming economic and inflation data before deciding on a rate hike at its October meeting. He noted that while global growth is holding up, trade-policy spillovers and domestic uncertainty require caution. Ueda emphasized there is not much divergence in his current views vs earlier ones, and signaled a conditional approach to normalization. The stance underscores BOJ’s balancing act between anchoring inflation and preserving growth.