Japan's top currency diplomat declines comment on yen's sharp rally

TOKYO - Japan's top currency diplomat, Atsushi Mimura, on Thursday declined to comment on the yen's sharp rally against the U.S. dollar earlier in the day as speculation persisted that Japanese authorities could intervene in the currency market.

"I have no intention of commenting," Mimura, vice finance minister for international affairs, told reporters, as the U.S. currency dropped close to the 161 yen line from the mid-162 yen range in afternoon Tokyo trading.