Tetsushi Kajimoto

“Rapid currency moves are undesirable,” Suzuki told reporters after a cabinet meeting. “It is important for currencies to move stably, reflecting economic fundamentals.”

Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said on Wednesday he would not rule out any options but will take "decisive steps" against excessive currency moves, using the strongest expression in warning against the yen weakening.

Japan's finance minister said on Wednesday that authorities could take "decisive steps" against yen weakness after the currency fell to a 34-year low against the dollar—language he hasn't used since 2022 when Japan last intervened in the market.

Japanese monetary authorities made a last-minute decision to reschedule an emergency meeting to discuss the weak yen.

The headline index for big manufacturers’ sentiment stood at plus 11 in the first quarter, versus plus 10 seen by economists in a Reuters poll, the March tankan survey showed.

Japanese authorities will likely intervene in the currency market if the yen breaks out of a range it has been in for years and falls well below 152 per dollar, former top currency diplomat Tatsuo Yamazaki said on Thursday. Once the dollar climbs above 152 yen, the pair's rise could accelerate and offer an opportunity for authorities to intervene, Yamazaki told Reuters in an interview. The fact Japanese authorities have described recent yen declines as driven by some "speculative moves" suggest the authorities are seriously contemplating whether to step in or not, said Yamazaki, who oversaw Japan's 35 trillion yen intervention campaign to weaken the currency in 2003 through 2004.

By Tetsushi Kajimoto and Takahiko Wada TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese authorities will likely intervene in the currency market if the yen breaks

Some analysts say machinery orders are on track for a recovery.

Japan's exports grew for the fourth straight month in March driven by U.S.-bound car shipments, although business confidence at big firms soured amid a slump in the yen and signalled that a sure-footed economic recovery was some time away.

(Adds Reuters poll, detail, background) * March exports +7.3%, imports -4.9%, swinging trade surplus * Weak yen affects mood as it impacts cost of