TOKYO — Japan’s annual wholesale inflation held steady at 3.8 percent in December on stubbornly high food costs, data showed on Thursday, highlighting persistent price pressures that may prod the central bank to raise interest rates next week.
The data comes in the wake of Bank of Japan (BOJ) Governor Kazuo Ueda’s remarks on Wednesday that the bank will debate whether to raise rates at the Jan. 23-24 meeting, signaling it will take borrowing costs higher barring any market shocks after US President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Monday.
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