Ayano Sato said currency swings may be influencing inflation more than before, while offering no clear signal on her monetary policy stance at her first news conference.
Bank of Japan policy board member Ayano Sato said she will closely monitor how yen weakness feeds into prices, pointing to signs that exchange-rate moves may be having a bigger effect on inflation than in the past. Speaking Tuesday at her first news conference as a BOJ policymaker, Sato did not offer a clear indication of her broader monetary policy stance. Her remarks matter because the BOJ is weighing price dynamics closely, and a weaker currency can raise import costs and pass through to consumer prices.