For many years, the Bank of Japan kept interest rates at zero or below zero.
很多年来,日本央行把利率保持在零或零以下。
It did this to encourage borrowing and spending. It also wanted to fight deflation.
这样做是为了鼓励借钱和花钱,也是为了对抗通货紧缩。
Now, the central bank wants its money policy to go back to normal.
现在,央行想让货币政策回到正常状态。
This time, they raised the overnight lending rate.
这次提高的是无担保隔夜拆借利率。
They announced the decision after a two-day meeting on money policy.
决定是在两天的货币政策委员会会议结束时公布的。
People outside Japan and world markets had expected this for a long time.
外界和全球市场早就预计会这样。
Bank of Japan Governor Ueda Kazuo said they looked at several risks before deciding.
日本央行行长上田和夫说,做这个决定前,他们看了几个风险。
These risks include the war in Iran and growing demand for AI. They also include changes in exchange rates.
这些风险包括伊朗战争、人工智能市场需求扩大,还有汇率波动。
He said the Japanese economy is still slowly recovering.
他说,日本经济还在慢慢复苏。
Inflation is already close to the 2% target.
通胀已经接近2%的目标。
Ueda said two of the nine policy board members voted no.
上田说,九名政策委员会成员中有两人反对。
They worried that Japan's economy is not growing fast enough.
他们担心日本经济增长不够强。
Someone asked him if he would raise rates again.
有人问他会不会再提高利率。
Ueda said he needs more time to judge if price rises are steady.
上田说,需要更多时间来判断物价上涨是否稳定。
He also needs to watch wage growth and other risks.
同时还要看工资增长和其他风险。
Analysts think rates may go up again later this year or early next year.
分析人士认为,今年晚些时候或明年年初可能还会再加息。
The U.S. Federal Reserve also raised a key interest rate this week.
美国联邦储备委员会这周也提高了关键利率。
This is the first time since 2023.
这是2023年以来的第一次。
The U.S. worries the yen is too weak. It keeps pressuring Japan to raise rates.
美国担心日元太弱,一直向日本施压,要求加息。
The two countries also worked together recently to support the yen.
两国最近还一起出手,支撑日元。
Japan's central bank raised rates, but the dollar still rose above 157 yen.
虽然日本央行加了息,美元还是涨到157日元以上。
Economist Harumi Taguchi works at S&P Global Market Intelligence. She said oil prices are high. So she expects the Bank of Japan to raise rates early, not late.
标普全球市场财智的经济学家田口晴美说,因为原油价格高,她预计日本央行会早点加息,不会推迟。
She also said higher interest rates may hurt the economy.
她还说,更高的利率可能拖累经济。
Small and mid-size companies pay more to borrow money. Home loan costs are rising too.
因为中小企业借钱更贵了,房贷也在上升。
Analysts also worry about the government's spending plans.
分析人士还担心政府的支出计划。
Public debt keeps growing now. Prime Minister Takaichi's government also promised tax cuts. It also promised a big rise in defense spending.
现在公共债务不断膨胀,首相高市早苗政府还承诺减税,并大幅增加国防投资。