By Leika Kihara
TOKYO, June 11 (Reuters) - Heading into a defining week, Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda's absence leaves the central bank with a jarring optics problem just as it seeks to cement its credibility as an inflation fighter and convince markets it means business.
Ueda's two-week hospitalisation will keep him out of the June 15-16 rate review, where the BOJ is expected to raise rates again. While policymakers insist the decision itself is not in doubt, his absence risks complicating communication
at a moment when it needs to showcase resolve and unity to follow through with sustained tightening in the months ahead.
Analysts and officials downplay the immediate impact, noting Ueda is expected to resume duties in July and continue working remotely while hospitalised. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said in a press briefing on Thursday the central bank's policy conduct and coordination with the government would remain unaffected.
Ueda, 74, is expected to remain in hospital for about two weeks getting treatment for an infected liver cyst, work remotely and attend the next July 30 to 31 policy meeting, the central bank said.
Still, leadership uncertainty, even temporary, could test the BOJ as it pivots to a more hawkish stance on inflation as the Iran war stokes global price pressures, navigating political wariness over higher borrowing costs and market scepticism about how far - and how fast - it will tighten.
"The governor missing just one policy meeting won't cause big problems. But if it turns into something longer, that's a different story," said former BOJ board member Takahide Kiuchi.
"When markets are turning attention to the rift within the board, his absence may raise questions about his leadership."
That concern is heightened by the view that Ueda has been more cautious than some of his colleagues. In his absence, focus may shift to whether more hawkish board members gain sway, or whether the lack of a clear anchor voice lays bare internal divisions.
The governor's hospitalisation follows one by Deputy Governor Shinichi Uchida, who was discharged from hospital just last month after being treated for leukaemia.
COMMUNICATION CHALLENGE
Next week's policy decision itself appears largely settled. Ueda last week signalled readiness to lift the policy rate to 1% from 0.75%, a move widely seen as endorsed by a board that has tilted more hawkish.
But it could complicate the BOJ's messaging as Uchida will step in to brief the media after the decision, an unusual arrangement that leaves investors parsing not just the content but the messenger.
For a central bank trying to carefully guide expectations, that shift adds a layer of ambiguity.
"Even if Uchida's communication is different in nuance from Ueda, it would be hard to discern whether it's due to the deputy governor's character or a change in the BOJ's thinking," said Tsuyoshi Ueno, a senior economist at NLI Research Institute.
Mari Iwashita, executive rates strategist at Nomura Securities, expects the BOJ to hold off on sending clear signals on the future rate path altogether.
"Given uncertainty on how long it may take for the governor to fully recover, it's also becoming more unclear on whether the BOJ would hike again this year," she said.
THE TAKAICHI FACTOR IN BOJ'S POLICY CALCULUS
So far, analysts see little chance of Ueda stepping down before his five-year term ends in April 2028. Under Japanese law, a central bank governor cannot be compelled to resign.
But the episode has revived a broader question: whether the demands of the job, from relentless travel to parliamentary scrutiny, may eventually weigh on his ability to lead.
Uchida will act as an interim governor if Ueda were to step down, after which the government would choose Ueda's successor.
That scenario could hand Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, viewed as favouring looser policy, an opportunity to steer the central bank in a more dovish direction.
The two deputy governors, Uchida and Ryozo Himino, will see their five-year terms expire a month before that of Ueda.
Even if Ueda were to serve his full term, the prospect of a dovish administration influencing upcoming personnel decisions could exert subtle pressure on the central bank to tread carefully, some analysts say.
A key test will come in July next year when two hawks in the BOJ's nine-member board see their terms expire, leaving Takaichi the chance to fill the openings.
"Next year's personnel shift could overhaul the (dove-hawk) balance within the board. The BOJ may find it difficult to do anything that could draw the government's ire," said NLI's Ueno.
"Given such pressure, the BOJ may not be able to raise rates again for the rest of this year."
(Reporting by Leika Kihara; additional reporting by Kentaro Sugiyama, Makiko Yamazaki and Takaya YamaguchiEditing by Shri Navaratnam)
