Storyline: The yield on Japan's 10-year government bond, a key indicator of the country's long-term interest rates, climbed to 1.9 percent on Thursday, marking its highest level since July 2007. According to local media, as the market expects the Bank of Japan to continue raising rates in stages, government bonds were sold off, leading to a rise in long-term interest rates. At present, the market expects about an 80 percent probability that the Bank of Japan will decide to raise interest rates at its meeting on Dec 19, whereas two weeks ago the probability of a December hike was only 30 percent. With government bonds yielding higher interest rates, Japan faces escalating interest payments that could strain public finances and divert resources from essential social services. The International Monetary Fund has projected that Japan's deficit will rise to 4.4 percent of gross domestic product by 2030. Shotlist: FILE: Tokyo, Japan - Date Unknown: 1. Japanese national flag 2. Building of Bank of Japan 3. Sign of Bank of Japan FILE: Tokyo, Japan - June 16, 2022: 4. Various of signs reading "The Bank of Japan" FILE: Tokyo, Japan - Exact Date Unknown: 5. Various of bank clerk checking Japanese yen banknotes through bill counter 6. Bank clerk counting Japanese yen banknotes 7. Various of Japanese yen banknotes on counter Tokyo, Japan - Nov 29, 2025: 8. Various of pedestrians FILE: Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan - Nov 26, 2023: 9. Market FILE: Tokyo, Japan - Date Unknown: 10. Various of customers in supermarket; goods for sale FILE: Tokyo, Japan - Date Unknown: 11. Various of traffic, pedestrians at crossroad 12. Signs of bank, stores FILE: Tokyo, Japan - Date Unknown: 13. Aerial shots of cityscape, traffic [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]