Japan's finance minister said Trump raised concern over the weak yen at the summit, and PM Takaichi called the yen's undervaluation a problem 'as a general matter.' Users read a possible reversal from her earlier weak-yen posture, while others stressed the structural U.S.-Japan rate gap.
The Bank of Japan raised its policy rate to about 1.25%, but the yen weakened back to the 157-per-dollar range instead of firming. With August's fourth straight monthly trade deficit and a viral Hiroyuki post about it, discussion turned to the yen's frailty and household strain. Netizens split between cynicism about a 'trash currency,' mortgage and cost-of-living fears, and a counter-argument that the trade balance alone doesn't define the economy.