The Japanese yen fell to its weakest level against the US dollar since 1986 on 29 June 2026, marking a historic depreciation milestone. The move has prompted concerns within Japan and raised the question of whether monetary authorities may act to arrest the decline.
The USD/JPY currency pair reached 161.97 on 29 June 2026, its highest reading since late 1986. This level represents a continuation of sustained yen weakness, with the pair trading above a 100-hour moving average at 161.738.
The USD/JPY rate is the direct expression of this depreciation — it records the number of yen required to purchase one US dollar, and the 161.97 print is the specific level at which the forty-year milestone was recorded.
Bloomberg Markets reported that the scale of the move has raised expectations for a potential response from Japanese monetary authorities, though no official intervention had been confirmed as of the reporting time.
Sources: Bloomberg Markets, Finnhub