Ishiba's departure gives BOJ pause for thought on rate hikes

TOKYO, Sept 9 (Reuters) - The appointment of a new Japanese prime minister next month could give the central bank more reasons to go slow on its next interest rate hike, especially if the next leader is wary of seeing borrowing costs rise too quickly.

While the Bank of Japan's main concern remains domestic inflation and the economic hit from U.S. tariffs, uncertainty around who becomes next leader or what their policies might be adds a layer of risk to deliberations around monetary settings.