Trump raised weak yen in talks with Takaichi, Japan finance minister says
Japan’s finance minister said Donald Trump raised the weak yen in talks with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The comments revive the prospect of coordinated pressure or fresh intervention if yen weakness becomes a US-Japan priority.
Japan Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said Trump raised the weak yen during talks with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, according to the Financial Times. Her comments also pointed to possible support from US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for Japan’s response to currency weakness.
The remarks follow a period in which the yen’s level has become a recurring point of tension between Tokyo and Washington. The immediate change is the prospect that currency policy could move from political discussion toward renewed official action.
For Japan, intervention would involve the finance ministry and the Bank of Japan using foreign-exchange operations to influence the yen’s value. For the United States, Bessent’s position matters because Treasury backing could make any Japanese action more coordinated and politically consequential.
The practical scope and timing remain uncertain. The comments describe a prospect of intervention rather than a confirmed operation, and the eventual response would depend on the yen’s moves and the governments’ discussions.
The next markers are any further statements from Tokyo or Washington and evidence of actual foreign-exchange intervention. Markets will also look for whether the yen strengthens on official action or whether policy discussion fails to alter trading conditions.
Trump raised the weak yen with Takaichi as Katayama signalled possible intervention backed by Bessent.
The currency setup is now more sensitive to official remarks and coordinated action than to a single domestic policy signal, but the response is not yet a confirmed intervention. The key mechanism is whether Bessent’s support translates into Japanese operations capable of changing yen trading conditions.
The read fails if the comments do not lead to coordinated action or if the yen remains unaffected by official intervention signals.
CoverageSource: Financial Times · Published here FRI, SEP 25 · 12:58 AM ET · the only report in this recordHow this is decided →
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Japan’s finance minister linked Trump’s concern about the weak yen with possible intervention and indicated Scott Bessent’s blessing could support a coordinated response.
The opposing case is that intervention remains only a prospect, leaving no confirmed policy action to alter the yen’s direction.
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