[Sanae Takahashi Expresses Concerns About Interest Rate Hikes to Kazuo Ueda] February 24 news, according to the *Mainichi Shimbun*, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takahashi expressed concerns about further interest rate hikes during a meeting with Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda last week. Kazuo Ueda stated that the meeting primarily focused on economic and financial conditions, and the Prime Minister did not make specific monetary policy requests. Sanae Takahashi hopes the central bank will work closely with the government to achieve the 2% inflation target accompanied by wage growth. Following this report, the yen weakened against the dollar and the euro. Market participants speculate that the yen's weakness may prompt the Bank of Japan to raise interest rates in March or April.