[Expert: Bank of Japan May Raise Interest Rates to Curb Inflation] The Bank of Japan may raise the policy interest rate from the current 0.75% to 1.0% during the monetary policy meeting scheduled for the 15th to 16th of this month. Kato Shutsugu, president of Japan's Tohshort Research Institute, believes that the rate hike will put pressure on small and medium-sized enterprises as well as the daily lives of ordinary Japanese households. The impact on the yen exchange rate remains to be seen. (CCTV News)