Japan shifts messaging to counter view its policies are reflationary, Katayama says in TV interview
Japan's Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama arrives at the prime minister's office in Tokyo, Japan, September 17, 2026. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
TOKYO, Oct 3 : Japan's government has begun recalibrating its messaging to reassure markets that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is not pursuing reflationary policies, Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said in an interview with broadcaster TV Tokyo on Saturday.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent views Takaichi's economic policies as suited to current economic conditions, but has questioned whether the government has been communicating that message clearly enough to investors, Katayama said.
"So we concluded around late August that we need to communicate that message more clearly to financial markets," Katayama said, addressing market perceptions that the administration's policies are reflationary.
