Former Policy Board Member of the Bank of Japan, Makoto Sakurai, stated that given the increasing uncertainties brought by the newly elected U.S. President Trump, the possibility of the Bank of Japan delaying interest rate hikes until March is growing. "When Trump comments on various matters, there seems to be too much uncertainty. There may not be enough reasons to support a rate hike in January." As Sakurai spoke, observers of the Bank of Japan are looking for hints regarding a rate hike either this month or later. Sakurai believes the likelihood of a March rate hike is as high as 70%, as the Bank of Japan may prefer to wait until the situation becomes clearer in the first few months after Trump's new government takes office. (Jin Shi)