[Former Bank of Japan Official: BOJ May Raise Interest Rates in April] Jin10 News, April 9 – Masaaki Kaizuka, former executive director of the Bank of Japan, stated that the BOJ might raise its benchmark interest rate this month to avoid falling behind in controlling inflation. 'If I were the BOJ governor, I would say now is the time to act,' Kaizuka said. 'The war is exacerbating economic inflation, and if inflation expectations really start to surge, it will increase the risk of the bank falling behind the curve.' Kaizuka noted that recent economic indicators released by the BOJ suggest the bank is inclined to raise rates. Despite tensions in the Middle East and soaring oil prices, the bank did not lower its assessment of the regional economy earlier this week. 'Anyone paying attention to these indicators would feel that they are clearly preparing for something,' Kaizuka said. 'It seems very likely that they will take action this time.'