Dollar rises above 100 yen for 1st time in 4 years as Japan pushes ahead with monetary easing

TOKYO – The dollar has risen above 100 yen for the first time in more than four years as currency traders persist in selling the Japanese currency in reaction to Tokyo’s aggressive credit-easing moves.

The dollar rose as high as 101.18 yen early Friday in Tokyo. It was the first time since April 2009 that the greenback has traded above 100 yen.

The yen’s protracted rise has riled some of Japan’s trading partners but generally won support from leaders of other big economies eager to see the world’s second-biggest economy recover from two decades of stagnation. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pushed both fiscal and monetary stimulus strategies to help Japan end a long bout of deflation and support domestic demand.