0220 GMT - With prices expected to keep rising and the latest BOJ tankan corporate survey results likely within the central bank's expectations, the BOJ is expected to maintain its stance of seeking more interest-rate hikes, says Norinchukin Research Institute economist Takeshi Minami. He expects the BOJ to raise its policy rate in July and stop when the rate reaches 1%. "Given that there is still weakness in consumption, it is likely to be difficult to make a decision to move early," the economist says. He adds the BOJ may not be able to keep raising rates if inflation falls below its target of 2% in the next fiscal year starting April 2026. The tankan's main index for big manufacturers' sentiment was +12 in March vs +14 in December.(megumi.fujikawa@wsj.com)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 31, 2025 22:20 ET (02:20 GMT)

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