The inaction by authorities to stem the yen's recent advance and prevent Tokyo stock dives has prompted investors to fret over the nation's export-reliant economy.
Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Thursday morning finally hinted at possible intervention in the foreign-exchange market — the first in six years — to stem the yen rise.
But his talks over lunch with Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku produced nothing, except to increase disappointment among market players.