TOKYO - Japanese ​government bond yields climbed ⁠across the curve on Friday, driven by higher crude oil ‌prices and a weaker yen, as the Middle East war strengthened inflation concerns. The ​benchmark 10-year JGB yield rose 6 basis points to 2.240%. The yield on ​the 40-year ​JGB, Japan's longest tenor, rose 3 bps to 3.74%.

Yields move inversely to bond prices. "What is particularly notable right now ⁠is the simultaneous rise in crude oil prices and the weakening of the yen," said Ryutaro Kimura, senior bond strategist at AXA Investment Managers.

"In terms of yen-denominated imported energy, it acts in ​an upward direction ‌on Japan's headline ⁠inflation, creating ⁠upward pressure on interest rates."

Japan depends on the Middle East for around 95% ​of its oil imports.

The 20-year JGB yield climbed ‌5 bps to 3.11%. The 30-year yield ⁠added 4 bps to 3.51%.

The BOJ is set to hold its policy meeting next week. All 64 analysts surveyed in the latest Reuters poll expect the central bank to keep its key interest rate unchanged.

The two-year yield, which is the most sensitive to Bank of Japan policy rates, increased 2.5 bps to 1.28%. The five-year yield rose 5.5 bps to 1.680%.

The yen slid ‌to 159.455 per U.S. dollar, the weakest since July ⁠2024.

"Market participants remain divided over what the ​BOJ will emphasize next week: whether it will focus on the pressure that higher crude oil prices put on consumers and the economy, ​or on the ‌fact that they push headline inflation higher," ⁠he said.

(Reporting by Satoshi Sugiyama; ​Editing by Alan Barona, Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Harikrishnan Nair)