URGENT: Japan ups warnings as yen slips past 150, threatens "decisive" steps

Japan on Thursday ramped up its verbal warnings that it will take "decisive" steps against volatile movements in the foreign exchange market, shortly after the yen slid beyond the psychologically important line of 150 to the U.S. dollar.

Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said he is focusing on volatility, adding that the government will be "meticulously" watching movements in the currency market with vigilance.

Rapid, excessive yen moves, driven by speculators, are "intolerable," he told reporters.

© Kyodo News