The Japanese yen breached the 161 level against the U.S. dollar late Thursday, creeping closer to a four-decade low and renewing speculation that Tokyo could intervene again to defend the currency. After Japanese stock markets closed on Thursday, the yen weakened sharply, crossing the 161 level before extending the fall later in the day to as low as 161.80 per dollar, its lowest since July 2024. A move beyond 161.96 against the greenback would leave the yen at its weakest since 1986. The yen's