{
  "id": 6251135,
  "title": "Dollar falls into 152 yen zone amid BOJ rate hike speculation",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/08/dollar-falls-into-152-yen-zone-amid-boj-rate-hike-speculation",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-08T07:40:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Mainichi",
    "slug": "the-mainichi",
    "url": "https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20260908/p2g/00m/0bu/043000c"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The U.S. dollar recently dropped to a level of 152 yen in Tokyo for the first time since February, as the yen experienced increased demand due to speculation of a Bank of Japan interest rate hike at their upcoming meeting. The dollar depreciated by over 2 yen from the previous day, reflecting a narrowing of the interest rate differential between Japan and the United States, and a diminished expectation of a U.S. rate hike following stronger-than-expected nonfarm payrolls released on Friday. Japan has been pressured to further raise its key interest rate, with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent advocating for action to curb the yen's decline. Senior researcher Takuya Kanda of the Gaitame.com Research Institute noted the growing momentum in yen buying. However, the yen-buying momentum subsided in the afternoon due to concerns about excessive appreciation. U.S. markets were closed on Monday for a national holiday. Tokyo stocks experienced a decline, with the Nikkei Stock Average falling 1.70 percent and the Topix index dropping 1.83 percent from the previous day. The decline was primarily driven by exporters, affected by the rapid yen appreciation. The decline in Tokyo stocks was also influenced by inflation concerns, as crude oil futures rose above $90 per barrel. Global semiconductor sales data showing a rise in July helped bolster investor sentiment, while gains among artificial intelligence- and semiconductor-related shares in early trading supported the benchmark Nikkei index. However, later in the day, the index fell as these shares were sold to lock in gains. Over half of the sectors on the Tokyo bourse experienced declines. The stock market struggles to find direction until the release of U.S. consumer price index on Friday and the upcoming policy meetings of Japanese and U.S. central banks, which will provide insights into the interest rate outlook, according to Masahiro Ichikawa, chief market strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Co.",
  "summary": "TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The U.S. dollar briefly fell into the 152 yen range in Tokyo on Tuesday, for the first time since February, as the yen was bought ami",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "FXStreet",
        "title": "Japanese Yen rises to seven-month high on BoJ rate hike bets",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/08/japanese-yen-rises-to-seven-month-high-on-boj-rate-hike-bets",
        "published": "2026-09-08T05:34:38.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CNA - Business",
        "title": "Yen climbs to seven-month high on hawkish BOJ bets",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/08/yen-climbs-to-seven-month-high-on-hawkish-boj-bets",
        "published": "2026-09-08T09:06:40.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}