The Japanese yen slides to its weakest level in about 40 years against the U.S. dollar after breaking the key ¥161.95 threshold. Multiple reports say the currency trades around that level for roughly a week before moving through it in New York trading. One outlet reports the yen reaches about ¥161.96 per dollar, while another places the rate near ¥161.98 and notes a rise in volatility around the break.
Both accounts point to the yen’s recent depreciation as a continuation of a sustained slide that has challenged Japan’s exchange-rate stability efforts. The ¥161.95 area had previously been tested in July 2024, when Japan pursued actions aimed at supporting the currency. After that earlier attempt, the yen remains near the same range and then finally moves beyond it.
The reports describe the yen’s move in real-time terms, referencing the latest intraday readings and the prior level that marked an earlier campaign, but they do not attribute the move to a single specific cause.
