That’s according to the Nagoya branch of the BOJ who deals with firms in the Tokai region. Even though the current levels are ok there are worries that further yen weakness would push up already rising energy costs.

Given the range we’ve been in all year I think we can safely assume that a lot of people are finding the level comfortable. Abe and the BOJ will want to keep an eye on energy costs rising as that could knock the economy off track. Getting the nuclear power stations back up and running might be sped up.