Japan’s Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato reiterated that decisions on interest rates and other monetary tools rest solely with the Bank of Japan, saying the government expects the central bank to steer policy “appropriately” to achieve its 2% inflation goal. Speaking after a Cabinet meeting in Tokyo on 15 Aug., Kato said the authorities will continue to work closely with the BoJ but stressed that operational choices are the purview of Governor Kazuo Ueda’s team. Kato declined to comment on recent remarks by U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent urging the BoJ to raise rates, and said the government is monitoring calls from Japanese companies for tighter policy in light of higher prices. “We must pay close attention to the economic and price environment underpinning those views,” he added, while emphasizing that any move will be determined by the central bank. Separately, Trade Minister Shoichi Akazawa warned that U.S. tariffs introduced earlier this year could shave 0.3–0.4% off Japan’s gross domestic product and reduce corporate profits by about ¥3.5 trillion ($23 billion). Akazawa urged Washington to issue an executive order clarifying the tariff regime, and lawmaker Azumi pressed the Japanese government to release detailed impact data by mid-September.