Pedestrians walk past the Bank of Japan building in Tokyo, Japan March 18, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

By Leika Kihara

NAGOYA, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda on Monday said the central bank will consider the "pros and cons" of raising interest rates at its next policy meeting, providing the strongest signal yet on whether a hike is on the cards later this month.

With receding uncertainties surrounding the U.S. economy and President Donald Trump's tariff policies, the likelihood of the BOJ's economic and price projections being met is increasing, he said.

Labour shortages are becoming more acute, corporate profits remain at high levels on the whole and Japan's corporate lobby has called for anchoring solid wage gains, Ueda said in a speech to business leaders in Nagoya.

"The BOJ is at the stage where it should examine whether firms' active wage-setting behavior will continue," he said.

Ueda said the BOJ was actively collecting information on wage hikes with surveys conducted at firms by its head office and branches.

"We will examine and discuss economic and price developments at home and abroad, as well as market moves ... and consider the pros and cons of raising interest rates," he said.

(Reporting by Leika Kihara in Nagoya, additional reporting by Makiko Yamazaki in Tokyo; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Thomas Derpinghaus)