Japan's Minister of Economy and Finance, Shunichi Shirouchi, stated on Friday that he respects the Bank of Japan's decision to raise interest rates to 0.75%, but it is necessary to closely monitor the economic outlook. He said: "When formulating economic and fiscal policies, we believe it is necessary to closely watch several factors, such as the impact of US trade policies, the effect of sustained price increases on private consumption, and fluctuations in financial and capital markets." Shunichi Shirouchi stated that it is important to continue implementing appropriate monetary policies to achieve strong economic growth and stable inflation.