UPDATE1: Yen briefly surges vs. dollar from upper 156 to upper 154 range

The yen briefly surged to the upper 154 range against the U.S. dollar from the upper 156 zone on Friday afternoon in Tokyo.

The Japanese currency earlier in the day hit a fresh 34-year low of 156.82 at one point, after the Bank of Japan left its monetary policy unchanged following its two-day policy-setting meeting.

"The yen was sought on concerns that the BOJ would intervene in the exchange market," said Masahiro Ichikawa, chief market strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Co.

"But the dollar was quickly bought back after the yen's sudden rise," he added, with the Japanese currency falling to the lower 156 zone.

==Kyodo

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