FOCUS: Japan may step into currency market again to support yen with U.S. backing

TOKYO - Japanese authorities may continue to step into the currency market to arrest the yen's rapid fall after gaining fresh support for such interventions from the U.S. finance chief, who analysts say is more concerned about interest rate rises.

Japanese authorities' decision to spend nearly 10 trillion yen ($63 billion) recently to intervene in the currency market after the yen's fall to the upper 160 zone against the U.S. dollar merely bought time before its further weakening, with the Middle Eastern crisis driving a flight to safety in financial markets, analysts say.