On the 3rd, Finance Minister Katayama (片山) denied reports that US Treasury Secretary Bessent had criticized the Bank of Japan’s independence, saying, “I was never questioned about it.”
After reporting to Prime Minister Takaichi (高市) on the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors’ Meeting, Katayama (片山) explained that he had held discussions with Bessent over nearly the past year and stressed that there had been no particular requests from the US side. He denied some reports that Bessent had expressed dissatisfaction with the Bank of Japan’s independence.
The New York Times reported that, when Bessent dined with Katayama (片山) during his visit to Japan in May this year, he expressed dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Takaichi’s (高市) economic policies, asking questions such as why the Bank of Japan’s independence was insufficient.
Following the report, Japanese government officials corrected the facts and suggested that there may have been occasions when they were asked to explain whether remarks concerning the Bank of Japan’s independence had in fact been made.