The Japanese yen falls to the 155 level; Japanese Finance Minister Koizumi Koizuki issues a verbal warning on the exchange rate.

As the Japanese yen fell to a key psychological level of 1 dollar to 155 yen, Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso issued a warning on the exchange rate trend. Aso said in parliament on Wednesday, "Recently, we have seen unilateral and rapid fluctuations in the yen exchange rate." The negative impact of the weak yen is becoming increasingly apparent, which cannot be denied. The government is closely monitoring any excessive and disorderly exchange rate fluctuations with a sense of urgency." The yen briefly fell to 154.79 yen to the dollar, but the decline narrowed after Aso's speech. The yen touched its weakest level since February, partly due to the dovish signals from the Bank of Japan in recent months. Market expectations for the imminent end of the U.S. government shutdown also provided new support for the dollar.