OKAYAMA--The Bank of Japan must raise interest rates to at least 1% as soon as the second half of next fiscal year, hawkish policymaker Naoki Tamura said on Thursday, reinforcing the bank's ...

The remark by the policymaker Naoki Tamura came after the BOJ lifted its key short-term rate from 0.25 percent to a 17-year high of 0.5 percent late last month.

The Japanese yen strengthened beyond 152 per dollar on Thursday, reaching its highest level in eight weeks, as Bank of Japan board member Naoki Tamura said that the central bank must lift the ...