Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda faces another awkward communications challenge later this month when the central bank is poised to predict the strongest annual inflation since 1992 outside tax hike years. The BOJ will probably raise its projection for growth in key consumer prices to between 1.5% and 1.9% for the year started this month, compared with a 1.1% forecast in January, according to people familiar with the matter. With global central banks accelerating interest rate hikes to tackle inflation, Kuroda will have the task of explaining why he is insisting on staying wedded to stimulus when the BOJ effectively sees price growth at the fastest pace in decades. Sharp gains in elevated commodity prices fueled partly by the war in Ukraine have driven expectations that the central bank will have to bump up its inflation projection. Economists […]