Shigeru Ishiba, who is set to become Japan's next prime minister after winning the presidency of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, conveyed his stance on monetary and fiscal policies during a press conference in Tokyo. Regarding monetary policy, Ishiba stressed the necessity of maintaining accommodative measures to keep borrowing costs low and support the fragile economic rebound.
Despite his past criticisms of the Bank of Japan's aggressive monetary easing, Ishiba appeared to adopt a more dovish approach by indicating that the decision on interest rate increases would be left to the central bank. He highlighted the collaborative role of the government and the Bank of Japan in achieving price stability while acknowledging the current economic conditions as a basis for keeping monetary policy accommodative. Furthermore, Ishiba expressed intentions to implement a package of fiscal measures promptly to cushion the economic impact of escalating living expenses, focusing on assisting low-income families.