Hosokawa declined to comment on specific moves in interest rates. However, earlier Thursday the yield on the newest 10-year Japanese government bond rose to 1.820%, the highest level since August 2004. Yields on 10-year JGBs later gave up their gains to settle unchanged from Wednesday. Hosokawa did acknowledge that some market watchers may attribute recent gains in JGB yields to heightening expectations for monetary policy, the overall economic outlook, and supply and demand for government debt. The MOF's top bureaucrat also said that it wouldn't be favorable for the government to take specific measures aimed at yields, in part because they're ultimately determined by market forces and can't be controlled. In response to a question about whether the BOJ should send a clearer message about its monetary policy after ending its quantitative easing earlier this month, Hosokawa said the central bank has its own thoughts on monetary policy