the latest policy meeting summary of the Bank of Japan shows that the next rate hike could be implemented as early as December, in line with the expectations of many market participants. At the two-day policy meeting that ended on October 30, the Bank of Japan's committee decided by a vote of 7 to 2 to keep the current interest rates unchanged. The minutes of the meeting released on Monday (November 6) indicated that one committee member noted that the "conditions for further normalization of policy rates are likely already in place," while emphasizing the need to examine potential inflation trends. The minutes indicate that the Bank of Japan's nine-member committee is increasingly inclined to believe that the timing of the next rate hike is approaching, consistent with Governor Haruhiko Kuroda's recent statement that "action may be taken in the coming months." With almost all market observers expecting the bank to raise borrowing costs by January at the latest, attention has shifted to whether the rate hike will occur on December 19 or in the following January.