US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on 2026-07-31 that Iran can be economically isolated even without China, reaffirming the US's commitment to its 'economic outcast' operation against Iran. ^[1] Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said on 2026-09-08 that the central bank will continue raising interest rates as financial conditions remain accommodative. ^[2] Takada Hajime, a policy committee member of the Bank of Japan, stated on 2026-07-02 that interest rate increases could occur more frequently and by larger margins, including the possibility of a 'big step' increase. ^[3] The yen strengthened against the dollar, reaching 156.5 per dollar in the Tokyo foreign exchange market on 2026-07-03, which was the highest level since August 10, 2026. ^[4] Bessent claimed Iran has only about 30 million barrels of oil in storage, which he said will run out soon even if China sends remittances. ^[5] Bessent said he believes the Japanese government and Bank of Japan will take measures to strengthen the yen, as the yen remained around 160 per dollar after hitting a 40-year low of 164 at the end of July 2026. ^[6] Kazuo Ueda said that with underlying inflation quite close to the BOJ's 2% target, the central bank must pay particular attention to inflationary risks when guiding policy. ^[7] Kazuo Ueda stated at a news conference following the G20 finance leaders' gathering that the BOJ will debate this month whether upside inflation risks are increasing. ^[8] Scott Bessent, US Treasury Secretary, urged the Bank of Japan on 2026-06-25 to take decisive monetary policy actions to address the yen's significant undervaluation. ^[9] The yield on Japan's 30-year government bonds crossed the 4% threshold, marking the first time in 30 years that the yield has exceeded 3%. ^[10] The governor added that the BOJ must carefully scrutinize how the cumulative impact of its past rate hikes affect the economy. ^[11]