[Analyst: Bank of Japan's Rate Decision Unexpected, Possible Rate Hike in October] Odaily Planet Daily News - Hirofumi Suzuki, an analyst at Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, stated that the outcome was unexpected. Although the market had widely anticipated that the Bank of Japan would simply maintain its current stance, the initiation of the ETF sales plan, coupled with two committee members voting against maintaining the policy unchanged (i.e., supporting a 25 basis point rate hike), has given this meeting a hawkish tone. From the timeline perspective, even with events such as the Liberal Democratic Party leadership election on October 4, the Bank of Japan has signaled a steady push toward policy normalization. A rate hike is expected in October. (Jin10)