Japan’s Yen Intervention Bought Time. Not a Fix

Japan and the United States executed their first coordinated yen-purchasing operation since 1998 in late July, deploying billions of dollars to support the currency as it reached 40-year lows. Japan’s finance ministry had previously spent an estimated $74 billion in late April, followed by $59 billion on July 30 when the yen traded near ¥163.73 against the dollar. The U.S. Treasury Department, through the New York Federal Reserve, sold euros to purchase yen on behalf of the United Sta