The yen hit a fresh 24-year low in the lower 146 zone versus the U.S. dollar on Wednesday in Tokyo amid persistent prospects of aggressive interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve.
The yen fell beyond 145.90, the level at which Japan conducted a yen-buying, dollar-selling intervention last month for the first time since 1998 in a bid to stop a further decline in the Japanese currency.
Tokyo stocks ended almost flat as investors sat on the sidelines ahead of the release of U.S. inflation data for September on Thursday.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended down 4.42 points, or 0.02 percent, from Tuesday at 26,396.83. The broader Topix index finished 2.24 points, or 0.12 percent, lower at 1,869.00.
On the top-tier Prime Market, decliners were led by mining, metal product, and electric power and gas issues.
