Japan's Kato sees inflation pressure continuing to rise

Lallalit Srijandorn FXStreet

Japan's Finance Minister, Katsunobu Kato, said on Thursday that the end of deflation has not yet been achieved. Kato further stated that he sees inflationary conditions as prices continue to rise.

Market reaction

At the press time, the USD/JPY pair is down 0.24% on the day to trade at 152.32.

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.

AUD/USD remains above 0.7200 after China's trade data

AUD/USD sits above 0.7200 in the Asian session on Tuesday, near its highest level since May 14. The US Dollar stays under pressure as a rallying Japanese Yen outweighs support from hawkish Fed bets and geopolitical tensions. This, along with firming expectations for another RBA rate hike later this month, acts as a tailwind for the Aussie. However, mixed China trade balance data keep the pair restricted.

USD/JPY: Heavy near 153.50 as BoJ rate hike bets boost JPY

USD/JPY is sitting at six-month lows near 153.50 in the Asian session on Tuesday, as Japan's upbeat wage growth data and Q2 GDP revision cement bets on a BoJ rate hike next week and continue to boost the Japanese Yen. Meanwhile, US Dollar selling remains unabated despite hawkish Fed expectations and rising geopolitical tensions, lending additional support to the pair.

$4,465: Gold looks to regain 21-day SMA amid sustained USD weakness

Gold has snapped a two-day losing streak early Tuesday, staging a decent comeback toward $4,450 after finding strong buyers below the $4,400 level. Gold is looking to resume its recovery from four-week lows of $4,283 hit last week, capitalizing on sustained US Dollar weakness across the board.

Bitcoin whale profits hit record $9.07B, long-term holders increase on-chain activity

Bitcoin’s (BTC) short-term holder (STH) whales have reached a record level of unrealized profit, raising concerns that increased profit-taking could put pressure on the market during its current consolidation phase.

Why Oil is setting up for its most explosive move in years

The biggest Commodity trade of the year may be hiding in plain sight. Gold, Silver, Copper and Agricultural Commodities have already delivered some of the most dramatic repricing events of 2026, rewarding traders who recognized early that scarcity, geopolitical fragmentation and constrained supply were becoming dominant market forces.

Diesel’s record $100 warning: The oil shock hiding in plain sight

The Oil market may look calmer than it did a few months ago, but diesel is sending a very different message. The US diesel crack spread, the premium of ultra-low sulphur diesel futures over WTI, recently surged above $100 per barrel for the first time, reaching an intraday record of just over $102.00.