FOCUS: Trump Tariff Dents Investor Speculation for BOJ Rate Hike

   Tokyo, April 3 (Jiji Press)--U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement of a 24 pct reciprocal tariff on imports from Japan shook Tokyo market players Thursday, denting their speculation for an early interest rate hike by the Bank of Japan.
   In the aftermath of the announcement, the Nikkei 225 stock index closed at 34,735.93, down 989.94 points, or 2.77 pct, from Wednesday. The key gauge for Tokyo stocks briefly gave up over 1,600 points.
   The dollar temporarily fell below 147 yen before standing at 147.25-26 yen at 5 p.m., down from 149.65-65 yen at the same time Wednesday.
   Calling the situation surrounding U.S. tariffs "highly uncertain," BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda has said, "We hope to assess the impact on our economy with more precision while evaluating further developments on the (tariff) policy front."
   Last week, a senior member of the central bank's leadership team said the BOJ would explore the right time to implement an additional interest rate hike, citing an increased possibility of achieving its 2 pct inflation target.

(2025/04/03-18:12)