[Japan’s Finance Minister said he would be committed to maintaining the orderly operation of the foreign exchange market] On September 8, Japanese Finance Minister Katayama Satsuki said that Japan’s exchange rate policy stance has not changed since the joint intervention with the United States, and the authorities will work hard to maintain market order. The yen had strengthened rapidly, reaching its highest level since February. She added at Tuesday's briefing that she would continue to be in close contact with the U.S. Treasury Department. The yen's recent gains have been driven in part by rising market expectations for a rate hike by the Bank of Japan. In the absence of any apparent new intervention from the authorities, the yen has moved well above the 155 yen mark against the US dollar. The yen was trading at around 153.58 to the dollar on Tuesday morning in Tokyo, far stronger than around 160 a week ago.