The people who work the levers of Japan’s economy are in a bind: The country’s low interest rates, which they have long used to goose growth, are now well out of step with other big economies.
The yen is at a near-record low against the U.S. dollar, threatening to inflict prolonged inflation on Japan, which for years suffered the opposite problem.
On Tuesday, the central bank, the Bank of Japan, tried to thread the needle, announcing a policy that aims to nudge bond yields higher.
Decisions by the Bank of Japan, led by Governor Kazuo Ueda, reverberate around the world, especially in American markets.
Interest rates in the United States are well above Japan’s — yields on 10-year U.S. Treasury notes briefly pushed above 5 percent in September, a level not seen since 2007.
Persons:
Kazuo Ueda
Organizations:
U.S ., Bank of Japan, Treasury
Locations:
Japan, Tokyo, reverberate, United States