Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said the timing of the next interest rate hike was "approaching" as the economy was moving in line with the central bank's forecasts, the Nikkei newspaper reported, leaving open the chance of a December rate increase.

The BOJ will scrutinise its policy at its Dec. 18-19 meeting, when some analysts expect it to hike rates from the current 0.25%. Sign up here. Macro Matterscategory Core inflation in Japan's capital perks up, yen jumps on rate hike bets 2:25 AM UTC ...

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said interest-rate hikes are “nearing” as inflation and economic trends develop in line with the central bank’s forecasts, without explicitly supporting an increase in December.

The Japanese yen rose to a six-week high against the dollar Friday. While trading was thin because of the Black Friday holiday in the U.S., the moves are still worth watching after volatility in the Asian currency sparked market turmoil earlier this year.