URGENT: Japan to take proper steps if forex volatility rises: finance chief

Japan will take "appropriate" steps if the yen's volatility increases excessively, Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said Tuesday, as the currency weakened against the U.S. dollar to levels near where it was when Japanese authorities intervened last month.

The government is monitoring developments in the foreign exchange market with "a strong sense of vigilance," Suzuki told reporters.

Suzuki said he plans to explain Japan's position on currency intervention when he meets with finance chiefs from the Group of 20 economies in Washington later this week.

© Kyodo News