FX.co ★ Yen Rebounds on Katayama Remarks

The Japanese yen strengthened to around 158 per dollar on Friday, rebounding from two-week lows and ending a five-session losing streak. The move came after Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said that President Donald Trump had voiced concerns about the yen during a meeting with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi earlier in the week. Markets were already on high alert for possible intervention as the currency neared the closely watched 160 level, a threshold seen as a potential test of Tokyo’s tolerance for further yen depreciation. Katayama reiterated that she would continue to coordinate with her US counterpart Scott Bessent, following the first joint yen-buying operation by Japan and the United States since 1998, conducted in late July. The yen has remained under pressure as expectations for further Federal Reserve rate hikes suggest the US-Japan interest-rate differential will stay wide. Additional uncertainty over how quickly the Bank of Japan can continue normalizing policy has also weighed on the currency.