UPDATE 1-BOJ's Ueda says economy can withstand hit from US tariffs

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said on Tuesday the country's economy can withstand the hit from U.S. tariffs and sustain a cycle of rising inflation accompanied by wage growth, signalling the bank's readiness to raise interest rates further. Uncertainty over U.S. trade policy and the range of tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump's administration could hurt Japan's exports, prod firms to delay capital expenditure plans, and discourage them from raising wages, Ueda said.

While an agreement between the U.S. and China to scale back reciprocal tariff rates is perceived by markets as a positive development, uncertainty over the outlook remains high, he said. "Recent tariff policies will exert downward pressure on Japan's economy through several different channels," Ueda said in a speech.

"That said, we expect that Japan's economy can withstand such downward pressure" as historically high corporate profits serve as a buffer, he said. He also said Japan's tight labour market means the economy will likely sustain a trend in which wages and prices rise in tandem - a key prerequisite for further rate hikes.

While underlying consumer inflation will stagnate temporarily, there is no change to the BOJ's view that it will gradually rise toward its 2% target, Ueda said. "Although developments in trade policies since early spring have had a larger impact on Japan's economy than we had expected, progress towards achieving our price target continues to gain momentum," he added.

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