The yen's historic surge since last summer has taken a breather, particularly in light of the Bank of Japan's expansion of monetary easing earlier this month, lessening exporters' pain and boosting stock prices.
But it is unclear how long the trend will continue. Some watchers are cautious amid all the global economic uncertainty, especially in the United States. This means the dollar's appreciation against the yen may be short-lived.
Behind the yen's recent weakness, traders say, lies improved investor appetite to sell the yen, which has been considered a de factor safe haven since the Lehman Brothers debacle touched off the global financial crisis.