[Bank of Japan Policy Board Member: Cautious and Slow Rate Hikes May Be Necessary at Some Point in the Future] BlockBeats reports on November 12th that Bank of Japan policy board member Toshiro Asada stated that he is not entirely opposed to interest rate hikes at present, but a slow and gradual increase may be necessary at some point in the future, and the pace must be carefully controlled. He pointed out that Japan's inflation rate has already reached approximately 2%, and further pushing up prices would be of little significance; the neutral interest rate may be slightly higher than the Bank of Japan's current policy rate. Asada also stated that he is not currently considering proposing an interest rate cut, and hopes to comprehensively assess the upside and downside risks to the economy and the financial situation at each monetary policy meeting before making a policy decision.