Bessent Says Japan Needs Rate Hikes

07:55 PM EDT, 08/31/2026 (MT Newswires) -- US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama and BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda that further interest-rate increases are appropriate for Japan, NHK reported, citing a US official. Bessent held talks with Katayama and Ueda on the sidelines of the Group of 20 finance ministers and central bank governors meeting in North Carolina, the report said. The remarks come ahead of the BOJ's Sept. 17-18 policy meeting, with expectations growing that the central bank could raise its policy rate again, NHK reported.