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Yen falls past 161 per dollar
The yen traded above 161 to the dollar on Friday and approached levels last seen in the 1980s. Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said officials would act decisively if needed. The currency later recovered to about 160.20.
Japan TimesAudio version
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The yen traded above the ¥161-to-the-dollar mark throughout Friday in Tokyo and reached ¥161.80 overnight in New York before pulling back. Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said Friday that officials would act decisively when they decide to intervene.
The currency had weakened to levels not seen since December 1986. By late morning the yen had strengthened to about ¥160.20 and traded between ¥161.30 and ¥161.40 in the afternoon.
Background on recent moves The government last intervened in July 2024 when the yen reached ¥161.95. Officials spent ¥11.73 trillion between April 28 and May 27 this year to support the currency. The Bank of Japan raised its policy rate to 1 percent on Tuesday, the first increase since the end of 2025.
Market participants had already priced in the decision. A Bloomberg survey released Wednesday showed about 90 percent of analysts expect another rate increase by year-end.
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