Mimura ‘final warning’ pulls USD/JPY down 0.9%

USD/JPY fell 0.9% to 159.37 on Thursday after Atsushi Mimura, Japan’s Vice Finance Minister for foreign exchange, issued a ‘final warning' at about 3:45 p.m. Singapore time. The pair had reached an intraday high of 160.73 at around 2:15 p.m. Singapore time earlier in the session.

The yen strengthened 0.7% against the dollar on the day, its largest single-day gain since March 19, 2026. Traders pushed the pair above the intervention zone defined at 160.23–160.45 before the warning.

Atsushi Mimura issued the warning: ‘Let me say this as my final advisory if you want to escape.' No market operations were announced by authorities following the statement.

Immediate technical support levels are 159.05, the low after the Bank of Japan policy meeting on April 28; 158.60, which aligns with the 50-day moving average; and 157.50, a prior low from March 19 and an earlier congestion area. On the upside, resistance sits near 160.45, with further caps at 160.74 and 161.16.

European Central Bank and Bank of England policy decisions were scheduled within the next one to two hours, with forecasts pointing to unchanged interest rates. Market analysts noted that unexpectedly hawkish guidance from either bank could affect the dollar's direction against the yen following the intervention warning.