Wednesday, August 19, 2026 - The Japanese yen has strengthened against the US dollar following the Bank of Japan's recent interest rate hike, which raised borrowing costs to a 30-year high of 0.75%. Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama has expressed concern over rapid, one-sided currency movements, signaling potential intervention to stabilize the yen. Additionally, the yen's appreciation is influenced by expectations of further rate hikes and a cautious global risk sentiment.
| 1 $ = | Start | 08/25/2026 | Change | |
| Last 24 hours | 159.08 ¥ | ⇨ | 159.24 ¥ | +0.1% |
| Last week | 159.56 ¥ | ⇨ | 159.24 ¥ | -0.2% |
| Last month | 163.87 ¥ | ⇨ | 159.24 ¥ | -2.83% |
| Last year | 147.62 ¥ | ⇨ | 159.24 ¥ | +7.87% |
| Currency | 08/18/2026 | 08/25/2026 | Change | |
| Zambian Kwacha (ZMW) | 18.678 ZK | ⇨ | 19.05 ZK | +1.99% |
| Venezuelan Bolívar (VES) | 771.58 Bs. | ⇨ | 783.68 Bs. | +1.57% |
| Argentine Peso (ARS) | 1,493.5 $ | ⇨ | 1,511 $ | +1.17% |
| Costa Rican Colón (CRC) | 449.28 ₡ | ⇨ | 453.82 ₡ | +1.01% |
| Ghanaian Cedi (GHS) | 11.052 ₵ | ⇨ | 11.154 ₵ | +0.92% |
| Icelandic Krona (ISK) | 122.76 kr | ⇨ | 120.98 kr | -1.45% |
| New Zealand Dollar (NZD) | 1.7005 NZ$ | ⇨ | 1.675 NZ$ | -1.5% |
| South African Rand (ZAR) | 16.249 R | ⇨ | 15.947 R | -1.86% |
| South Korean Won (KRW) | 1,411.3 ₩ | ⇨ | 1,383.7 ₩ | -1.96% |
| Hungarian Forint (HUF) | 315.87 Ft | ⇨ | 309.47 Ft | -2.02% |
| See also: 24h, monthly and yearly currency moves | ||||
| Currency name | Japanese Yen |
| Symbol | ¥ |
| Also known as | Japanese Yen, ¥1 = 100 sen |
| ISO code | JPY |
| Banknotes | ¥1000, ¥2000, ¥5000, ¥10,000 |
| Coins | ¥1, ¥5, ¥10, ¥50, ¥100, ¥500 |
| Central bank | Bank of Japan (BoJ) - Website: www.boj.or.jp |
| Countries | 1 country: Japan (capital: Tokyo, major cities: Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Yokohama, Fukuoka, Sapporo) |
| Population | 127 mil. |
History
The history of money in Japan stretches back over a thousand years. The country's earliest coins were minted in 708 AD, modelled on Chinese copper cash. For centuries, Japan used a complex multi-metal system of gold, silver and copper coins, with no unified national currency, until the Meiji Restoration of 1868 brought sweeping modernisation.
The New Currency Act of 1871 established the yen (¥) as Japan's decimal currency, replacing the old ryō system. The name means "round object" in Japanese — a reference to the circular shape of the coins. Japan initially tied the yen to both gold and silver, then moved to a pure gold standard in 1897, linking the currency to the international monetary system and enabling rapid industrialisation.
World War II devastated the Japanese economy and the yen. Postwar occupation authorities fixed the exchange rate at 360 yen per US dollar in 1949 — a rate that held for over two decades under the Bretton Woods system. When Bretton Woods collapsed in 1971, Japan briefly floated before rejoining a fixed-rate arrangement at 308 yen per dollar, then allowed the yen to float freely in 1973.
The oil shocks of the 1970s and Japan's subsequent export-led growth dramatically changed the yen's value. The 1985 Plaza Accord, agreed among the G5 nations, deliberately pushed the yen sharply higher to reduce Japan's trade surplus. From 360 yen per dollar at Bretton Woods, the yen strengthened to under 80 per dollar at its peak in 1995. Japan's long deflationary era, punctuated by extensive Bank of Japan easing, has shaped yen movements ever since.
The yen is today the third most traded currency in foreign exchange markets and a major safe-haven currency. The Bank of Japan, established in 1882, manages monetary policy.
Sources:
"Japanese yen", Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_yen
"Plaza Accord", Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaza_Accord