The Bank of Japan is likely to raise interest rates again this year and see borrowing costs reach levels deemed neutral to the economy by the end of 2027, a senior International Monetary Fund official said on Thursday.

The Bank of Japan will continue to raise interest rates if underlying inflation accelerates toward its 2 per cent target as projected, a senior central bank official said on Wednesday."Underlying inflation is heading toward 2 per cent but still remains below that level now.

A speech by the board member is likely to further fuel market speculation that more rate hikes are in the pipeline.

The Bank of Japan must raise short-term interest rates to at least 1% by the second half of fiscal 2025 to contain inflation risks, board member Naoki Tamura said on Thursday.

Bank of Japan policy board member Naoki Tamura said, “Raising short-term interest rates to at least around 1% in the latter half of fiscal 2025 is necessary to reduce upside risk to prices and achieve the price stability target in a sustainable and stable manner.