The U.S. dollar briefly rose into the upper 159 yen range on Friday, its highest level since July 2024, as fears heightened that the crisis in the Middle East could be prolonged and markets largely shrugged off a warning by Japan about the yen's fall.Tokyo stocks fell, with the key Nikkei index briefly losing over 2 percent in the morning, pressured by concern over an economic slowdown fueled by inflation as crude oil prices surged.The dollar hit 159.68 yen in the afternoon, even as Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said earlier in the day that the government is ready to implement all possi…READ FULL ARTICLE