Japanese Yen flatlines near 159.00 as intervention fears counter US–Iran tensions

USD/JPY holds steady near 159.05 in Wednesday’s early Asian session.
Trump said a new US attack would happen in the coming days if no agreement were reached.
Traders largely ignored the stronger Japanese GDP growth data, but concerns about intervention could still underpin the Japanese Yen.

Lallalit Srijandorn FXStreet

The USD/JPY pair trades on a flat note around 159.05 during the early Asian session on Wednesday. The potential upside for the pair might be limited amid intervention fears from Japanese authorities. Traders continue to digest the latest headlines on US talks with Iran to end the war. Japan’s April National Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation report will be in the spotlight later on Friday.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to resume attacks on Iran in “two or three days” as part of the push for a deal to end the war, per Bloomberg. On Monday, Trump said that he had paused a planned resumption of hostilities following a new proposal by Tehran to end the US-Israeli war.

Meanwhile, an Iranian official stated that the US threat of a massive assault at any moment will be met "resolutely," and Iran is “prepared to confront any military aggression.” Signs of a prolonged war between the US and Iran could lift the US Dollar (USD) against the Japanese Yen (JPY) in the near term.

On the JPY’s front, traders shrugged off Japan's stronger-than-expected Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth data for the first quarter (Q1). “Though Japan’s GDP grew healthily by 0.5% in Q1, we think the Q1 GDP is already in the rear-view mirror and expect the economy to feel the strains from high energy costs ahead,” said Norihiro Yamaguchi, lead Japan economist at Oxford Economics.

Japanese officials are on high alert for another round of currency intervention, which might provide some support to the JPY and act as a headwind for the pair. Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said on Monday that Japan stands ready to act against excessive foreign exchange volatility at any time, while ensuring that any intervention is conducted in a way ‌that avoids pushing up U.S. Treasury yields.

(This story was corrected on May 20 at 01:45 GMT to say, in the headline, that Japanese Yen flatlines near 159.00 as intervention fears counter US–Iran tensions, not above 159.00)

Japanese Yen FAQs

What key factors drive the Japanese Yen?

The Japanese Yen (JPY) is one of the world’s most traded currencies. Its value is broadly determined by the performance of the Japanese economy, but more specifically by the Bank of Japan’s policy, the differential between Japanese and US bond yields, or risk sentiment among traders, among other factors.

How do the decisions of the Bank of Japan impact the Japanese Yen?

One of the Bank of Japan’s mandates is currency control, so its moves are key for the Yen. The BoJ has directly intervened in currency markets sometimes, generally to lower the value of the Yen, although it refrains from doing it often due to political concerns of its main trading partners. The BoJ ultra-loose monetary policy between 2013 and 2024 caused the Yen to depreciate against its main currency peers due to an increasing policy divergence between the Bank of Japan and other main central banks. More recently, the gradually unwinding of this ultra-loose policy has given some support to the Yen.

How does the differential between Japanese and US bond yields impact the Japanese Yen?

Over the last decade, the BoJ’s stance of sticking to ultra-loose monetary policy has led to a widening policy divergence with other central banks, particularly with the US Federal Reserve. This supported a widening of the differential between the 10-year US and Japanese bonds, which favored the US Dollar against the Japanese Yen. The BoJ decision in 2024 to gradually abandon the ultra-loose policy, coupled with interest-rate cuts in other major central banks, is narrowing this differential.

How does broader risk sentiment impact the Japanese Yen?

The Japanese Yen is often seen as a safe-haven investment. This means that in times of market stress, investors are more likely to put their money in the Japanese currency due to its supposed reliability and stability. Turbulent times are likely to strengthen the Yen’s value against other currencies seen as more risky to invest in.

Author

Lallalit Srijandorn

FXStreet

Lallalit Srijandorn is a Parisian at heart. She has lived in France since 2019 and now becomes a digital entrepreneur based in Paris and Bangkok.

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