[Citigroup: Does not believe Sanae Takaichi will pressure the Bank of Japan to avoid rate hikes] Odaily Planet Daily News - Citigroup's Chief FX Strategist Osamu Takashima stated: Sanae Takaichi claims to be the successor of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. However, there are too many differences between 10 years ago and now. Ten years ago, Japan faced deflationary pressures and a strong exchange rate. Now, Japan is dealing with inflation and a weak exchange rate. Therefore, the situation is completely opposite to what it was 10 years ago. Especially regarding the Bank of Japan's monetary policy, I do not believe she will pressure the Bank of Japan to avoid rate hikes. The issues facing Japan's economy are inflation and the depreciation of the yen, both of which are unpopular among the Japanese public. If she were to exert political pressure on the Bank of Japan, leading to further depreciation of the yen, inflation would worsen. She might lose the support of the Japanese people. For her, this would be an extremely risky game. (Jin10)