A statement just dropped that most market participants are dramatically underestimating.
šÆšµ BoJ board member Makoto Sakurai has indicated that Japanese policy rates could be raised as high as 1.5%.
This is not a casual comment.
This is a forward signal.
For decades, Japan has been the backbone of global liquidity ā zero rates, yield suppression, and unlimited capital export. That era is now cracking.
š§ Why This Matters More Than People Realize
A move toward 1.5% in Japan would represent a historic policy reversal.
Japan is not just another economy:
It is one of the worldās largest creditors
A primary funding source for global carry trades
A critical anchor for bond and FX stability
Raising rates at this scale forces capital to come home.
š» The Hidden Bear Case for Risk Assets
If Japanese yields rise meaningfully:
Carry trades unwind
Yen strengthens
Global liquidity tightens
Bond volatility spikes
Risk assets lose their marginal buyer
This is structurally bearish for:
Equities
High-beta tech
Crypto
Emerging markets
Not immediately ā but inevitably.
ā ļø Markets Are Still Pricing the Old Regime
Current risk pricing assumes:
Japan stays dovish
Liquidity remains abundant
Volatility stays contained
Sakuraiās comment directly challenges that assumption.
Macro turning points never arrive with alarms.
They arrive quietly ā through comments like this.
š Bottom Line
When the last central bank pillar starts to shift, the global system feels it.
This isnāt just a Japan story.
Itās a global liquidity warning.
Ignore it at your own risk.
