0021 GMT - JGB futures rise in the early Tokyo session as the yen's strength is seen to ease inflationary pressures in Japan. A stronger yen tends to reduce Japan's import prices, which typically leads to lower inflation. Today's focus may also be on Japanese Finance Ministry's auction of about 2.5 trillion yen of five-year sovereign notes. Investors are likely to "take a cautious stance on the auction given the [BOJ's] Sep. [meeting] falls later in the month," SMBC Nikko Securities' Lisa Mochizuki says in a research report. "Against this backdrop, we forecast a somewhat weak auction result," the junior analyst adds. Benchmark 10-year JGB futures are 0.20 yen higher at 126.21 yen.