Japan vows market vigilance in G7 meeting, finance minister says

WASHINGTON, April 15 : Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said on Wednesday she told her Group of Seven counterparts that Tokyo was closely watching market moves, including currency rates, given high volatility.

Many central banks appeared to favour taking a wait-and-see mode on monetary policy given extremely high uncertainty on how the Middle East conflict unfolds, and how any interest rate hikes could affect the economy, Katayama told reporters after attending a gathering of the G7 finance ministers and central bank governors.

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda also attended the G7 meeting, though Katayama declined to say how the uncertainty could affect its interest rate decisions.