Japan swings to current account deficit as weak yen lifts import costs

Japan posted its first monthly current account deficit in nearly a year and a half, data showed, as a weak yen inflated the cost of imports. Separately, a summary of the Bank of Japan's July meeting showed board members debated the scope to accelerate the pace of interest rate increases, a signal that policy normalisation remains under active discussion. Corporate Japan has grown more vocal about the currency. Executives have called for greater foreign exchange stability, arguing that a persistently weak yen is intensifying input-cost pressure even as it flatters exporters' reported earnings. The Nikkei 225 has stalled in recent sessions, trading below its 200-day moving average.