At 0845 GMT the dollar was down 1 percent on the day at 87.49 yen JPY=, down for the third straight day this week after having jumped above 90 yen last Friday on the back of stronger-than-expected U.S. employment data.

The euro was also down against the yen, falling around three quarters of a percent on the day to 129.00 yen EURJPY=, and sterling was down more than 1 percent at 142.25 yen GBPJPY=R.