- Japan's vice finance minister said on Monday that the ministry would continue to monitor long-term interest rates, which have been rising across the board. "We will continue to closely monitor interest rate movements," Vice Finance Minister Masakazu Hayashi told a news conference. Japanese government bond (JGB) yields climbed on Monday on speculation about higher U.S. interest rates after strong U.S. jobs data on Friday, and on gains in Tokyo share prices. The yield on the cash benchmark 10-year JGB <0#JPTSY=JBTC> rose eight basis points to match a nine-month high of 1.675 percent.|||