EUR/JPY holds above 161.50 on Japan’s PM Ishiba’s dovish turn

• EUR/JPY holds positive ground near 161.85 in Thursday’s early Asian session.
• Japan’s PM Ishiba’s dovish turn exerts some selling pressure on the Japanese Yen.
• Investors expect the ECB to cut the rates in the October meeting.

The EUR/JPY cross gains traction to around 161.85 during the early European session on Thursday. The Japanese Yen (JPY) weakens as Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said that the country is not ready for a rate hike.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said after a meeting with Bank of Japan (BoJ) Governor Kazuo Ueda on Wednesday that Japan is not in an environment for a further rate increase. Traders reduce their bets on a near-term interest rate hike following Ishiba's remarks.

Meanwhile, Ueda stated that the Japanese central bank would move cautiously about the monetary policy in the future. BOJ board member Asahi Noguchi said on Thursday that the central bank should continue its accommodative monetary policy for the time being, adding that it would take time to shift the perception that prices will not rise significantly in the future. Traders are now pricing in less than 50% odds that the BoJ would hike by 10 basis points (bps) before the year-end, according to LSEG data.

The rising speculation that the European Central Bank (ECB) will cut interest rates in October might undermine the Euro (EUR) and cap the upside of the cross. Earlier this week, the Eurozone inflation fell to 1.8% YoY in September, below the central bank's 2% target. ECB policymaker Martins Kazaks said on Wednesday that the central bank has a "clear-cut" argument for rate reduction at its next meeting as the Eurozone's economy might reach a tipping point.