They’re behind the curve,” Bessent told Bloomberg TV on Wednesday, noting that that was his opinion, and that he discussed inflation in Japan with BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda. “So they’re going to be hiking and they need to get their inflation problem under control,

The Bank of Japan will likely be raising interest rates as it is behind the curve in dealing with the risk of inflation, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Bloomberg Television, in his most explicit comment on Japan's monetary policy.

They’re behind the curve so they are going to be hiking and they need to get their inflation problem under control,” Bessent told Bloomberg TV, comments that stood in contrast to the position of Bank of Japan governor Kazuo Ueda.