Bank of Japan Gov. 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.

He, however, also said the BOJ wanted to scrutinize developments in the U.S. economy as there was a "big question mark" on its outlook, such as the fallout from President-elect Donald Trump's proposed tariff hikes, according to the Nikkei.

"We can say it's approaching in the sense that economic data are on track to meet our forecasts," Ueda told Nikkei in an interview conducted on Thursday and published Saturday, when asked whether the timing of the next rate hike was nearing.