U.S., Japan agree to address Ukraine war-driven FX volatility, economic challenges

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki agreed on Tuesday to further strengthen bilateral ties and work together to address rising food and energy prices exacerbated by Russia’s war in Ukraine.

They said the war had increased exchange rate volatility, which could have adverse implications for economic and financial stability, and pledged to continue to consult closely on foreign exchange markets and “cooperate as appropriate” on currency issues, in line with their commitments as part of the Group of Seven (G7) and Group of 20 economies.

The two leaders also urged China and other non-Paris Club creditors to cooperate “constructively” in working out debt treatments for low-income countries facing debt distress, and underscored the need for coordination to ensure fair burden-sharing among creditors of Sri Lanka and other vulnerable middle-income countries.

Their joint statement also touched on issues ranging from climate change to global tax reforms and a price cap on Russian oil that the United States has proposed to prevent Moscow from benefiting from using higher oil prices to fund its war in Ukraine.
Source: Reuters (Reporting by Andrea Shalal And Tetsushi Kajimoto,Editing by Shri Navaratnam)