The U.S. dollar extended its move higher against the yen USDJPY +0.13% , passing the ¥79 level to buy ¥79.43, up from ¥78.85 in late North American trading on Thursday.
The euro EURJPY +0.26% bought ¥103.71, a 0.1% gain for the day, according to FactSet data.
The softer yen came after Bank of Japan Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa said Friday that the central bank would keep monetary policy loose, according to reports.
