Bessent Says BOJ Is Falling Behind the Curve, Expects Hike

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Bank of Japan is falling behind the curve in addressing inflation, in a rare comment admonishing policy decisions by a foreign central bank.

“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,” he added.