The Japanese yen strengthened to around 158.5 per dollar on Wednesday, marking its third consecutive session of gains as market optimism grew over a potential de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East. Investors were encouraged by President Donald Trump’s remarks that US forces could conclude operations in Iran within two to three weeks. Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran was willing to end hostilities if guarantees were provided to prevent the conflict from reigniting. Domestically, Japan’s economic indicators underscored resilience despite the geopolitical uncertainty. The Bank of Japan’s sentiment index for large manufacturers rose to 17 in the first quarter of 2026, reaching its highest level since the fourth quarter of 2021, suggesting that business confidence remains robust. Meanwhile, the manufacturing PMI was revised slightly upward to 51.6 in March from a preliminary estimate of 51.4, though it remained below February’s near four-year peak of 53.
The USD/JPY exchange rate fell to 158.6420 on April 1, 2026, down 0.05% from the previous session. Over the past month, the Japanese Yen has weakened 0.79%, and is down by 6.28% over the last 12 months. Historically, the USDJPY reached an all time high of 358.44 in January of 1971. Japanese Yen - data, forecasts, historical chart - was last updated on April 1 of 2026.
The USD/JPY exchange rate fell to 158.6420 on April 1, 2026, down 0.05% from the previous session. Over the past month, the Japanese Yen has weakened 0.79%, and is down by 6.28% over the last 12 months. The Japanese Yen is expected to trade at 157.61 by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. Looking forward, we estimate it to trade at 155.00 in 12 months time.