A date on the calendar could shape the BOJ's endgame on interest rates

TOKYO, Aug 21 : The Bank of Japan has set next year's July policy meeting just in time for its two hawkish board members to vote before their five-year terms expire, a scheduling quirk that could prove crucial for how high Japanese interest rates may ultimately rise.Under a calendar of next year's scheduled policy-setting meetings released last month, the BOJ said its board will hold the rate review for July 2027 on the 21st and 22nd.The date would allow hawkish board members Naoki Tamura and Hajime Takata, known as advocates of faster interest rate hikes, to cast their votes before their terms end on July 23.The scheduling has drawn notice because it preserves the BOJ's ability to deliver a rate hike before a board reshuffle that could make future tightening harder. While exceptions exist