The Bank of Japan apparently debated growing prospects of sustained inflation at their July meeting, with one board member saying wages and prices could keep rising at a pace "not seen in the past," according to a summary of opinions released on Monday.
While the members stressed the need to keep ultra-easy monetary policy, the upbeat view on the inflation outlook suggests they are now more convinced that conditions for phasing out stimulus could fall in place.
"More firms have started to consider wage hikes for next fiscal year and beyond. Japan is expected to see a new phase where wages and services prices continue to increase," according to one opinion shown in the summary.