Highlights of Japan-related events for Oct. 28-Nov. 3:

Oct. 28 (MON)

— Tokyo International Film Festival to be held through Nov. 5.

Oct. 29 (TUES)

— No major events.

Oct. 30 (WED)

— Bank of Japan to hold two-day monetary policy meeting.

Attention is growing on whether the BOJ will follow the U.S. Federal Reserve and European Central Bank in further easing its monetary grip amid uncertainty over the global economic outlook and U.S.-China trade tensions.

Oct. 31 (THURS)

— Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda to hold press conference.

— Cabinet Office to release survey on consumer trends for October.

— Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to release preliminary industrial production index for September.

— Japan Tourism Agency to release figures on the number of foreign guests at accommodation facilities in August.

In focus is the margin of drop in the number of South Korean visitors amid a fraying of bilateral ties over wartime history and trade policy. The number fell over 10 percent in July from a year earlier.

Nov. 1 (FRI)

— Groups of lawmakers from Japan, South Korea working on bilateral relations to hold meeting in Tokyo.

Originally scheduled for September, the meeting was postponed after Seoul informed Tokyo in August that it would terminate a bilateral military intelligence-sharing pact, known as the General Security of Military Information Agreement, or GSOMIA, used to counter North Korean missile threats.

— Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications to release unemployment rate for September.

— Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare to release ratio of jobs offers to job seekers for September.

— Observation deck located at top of Shibuya Scramble Square’s 47-story east tower to open to public.

Measuring some 2,500 square meters, the observation deck is one of the largest of its kind in the country. The 230-meter tower is the tallest building in Shibuya, a popular tourist spot known for its iconic scramble crossing.

— Seven-Eleven Japan Co. to commence shorter operating hours in eight stores, becoming the first major convenience store operator to scale back around-the-clock hours to address a labor crunch.

Additional stores may also shorten operating hours, joining some 200 outlets, out of a total of 21,000 nationwide, which are currently trying out shorter hours on a trial basis.

— Rugby World Cup match for third place to be held at Tokyo Stadium (Ajinomoto Stadium).

Nov. 2 (SAT)

— Government to announce recipients of this fall’s medals of honor.

— Rugby World Cup final to be held at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama.

Nov. 3 (SUN)

— Government to announce recipients of annual fall decorations.

— Culture Day, national holiday.