Japanese Yen Rises on Intervention Fears

2026-01-15 02:09 By Jam Kaimo Samonte 1 min. read

The Japanese yen strengthened toward 158 per dollar on Thursday, rebounding from its lowest levels since July 2024 when authorities intervened in the foreign exchange market as the currency breached the key 160 level.

Earlier this week, Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said she and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had raised concerns over the yen’s “one-sided depreciation” during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of a multilateral finance ministers’ gathering.

Bessent later on underscored the importance of clear monetary policy formulation and communication, echoing his remarks from last October urging Japan’s government to give the Bank of Japan “policy space” to combat inflation.

Meanwhile, markets continued to speculate on a potential snap election next month that could trigger more aggressive fiscal stimulus, keeping the yen under pressure.



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