Banknotes of Japanese yen are seen in this illustration picture taken June 15, 2022. Some market players were surprised by the lack of determination to keep the yen from falling beyond 145 yen to the dollar. Traders are watching for any signs of intervention by Japanese officials to shore up the ailing currency. However, Japanese officials have rarely escalated verbal warnings since last month against speculators trying to sell off the yen. The weak yen has driven up import bills for fuel and foods, depriving households of purchasing power and prompting Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to scramble for measures to subsidise gasoline retail prices and to mitigate rises in utility bills.

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Persons: Florence Lo, Shunichi Suzuki, Suzuki, Japan's, Daisaku Ueno, Fumio Kishida, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Tom Hogue, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Japanese Finance, Mitsubishi UFJ Securities, Authorities, U.S . Federal Reserve, Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: Japan