Suzuki Still Hasn’t Heard Discussions Re: Governor Candidate Announcement Timing

Japanese Finance Minister Suzuki has once again noted that he has not heard of the touted discussions pointing to next week for a potential announcement of the government’s candidates to succeed outgoing BoJ Governor Kuroda. A reminder that Suzuki has previously indicated that he has been “out of the loop”when it comes to those discussions.

• Suzuki has gone on to flag that the government and BoJ both face challenges stemming from a “severe” fiscal situation, while inflation is yet to stably hit the BoJ’s 2% goal. He stressed that the two parties will continue to work closely together to achieve stable inflation and sustained economic growth.
• Meanwhile, it is worth noting that BoJ Governor Kuroda & Deputy Governor Amamiya are scheduled to appear in front of parliament today (Kuroda this morning and Amamiya this afternoon).
• Today was previously touted as the unveiling date of the government’s candidates to succeed Kuroda, per several source reports (with Amamiya the market favourite at present). However, that has been gradually pushed back, with local press reports since indicating that this unveiling will likely come on Tuesday of next week.