Despite the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's victory in Sunday's Upper House election, the yen remains under downward pressure.
At the ballot box, voters gave Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi a mandate to press forward with painful structural reforms.
Although the moves of the LDP faction led by former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, as well as other factions, remain unclear, economic restructuring measures are widely expected to force a further delay in Japan's economic recovery.