| A | B | C | D |
| Most Recent Data: IMF, IFS (July, 1998) | |||
| Yen/US$ (Qtrly Avrg) | Month; Date | Important Facts | |
| 1945 | 8 | World War II came to an end. | |
| 1949 | 4 | The yen was fixed at 360 per dollar since 1949 (until 1971q4). | |
| 1950 | 6 | Korean War broke out. | |
| 1952 | 8 | Japan: Member of IMF and the World Bank | |
| 1964 | 4 | Japan: Member of OECD | |
| 1970q1 | 357 | ||
| 1970q2 | 358 | ||
| 1970q3 | 358 | ||
| 1970q4 | 357 | ||
| 1971q1 | 357 | ||
| 1971q2 | 357 | ||
| 1971q3 | 353 | 8 | Nixon shock: President Nixon suspended the gold convertibility of the dollar. |
| 1971q4 | 327 | 12 | Smithsonian Agreement: 360/$ to 308/$ (devaluation of the dollar) |
| 1972q1 | 308 | ||
| 1972q2 | 308 | Adjustment period: December 1971 to February 1973. | |
| 1972q3 | 308 | ||
| 1972q4 | 308 | ||
| 1973q1 | 281 | 3 | The flexible exchange rate system started: The major currencies began to float. |
| 1973q2 | 265 | ||
| 1973q3 | 265 | ||
| 1973q4 | 274 | 10 | First Oil Crisis: $2.60 to $11.7 a barrel (more than fourfold increase) in a single year |
| 1974q1 | 290 | ||
| 1974q2 | 279 | ||
| 1974q3 | 297 | ||
| 1974q4 | 299 | ||
| 1975q1 | 293 | ||
| 1975q2 | 292 | ||
| 1975q3 | 297 | ||
| 1975q4 | 303 | ||
| 1976q1 | 302 | ||
| 1976q2 | 299 | ||
| 1976q3 | 291 | ||
| 1976q4 | 293 | ||
| 1977q1 | 285 | ||
| 1977q2 | 275 | ||
| 1977q3 | 266 | ||
| 1977q4 | 247 | ||
| 1978q1 | 237 | ||
| 1978q2 | 220 | ||
| 1978q3 | 192 | ||
| 1978q4 | 190 | 12 | Second Oil Crisis: $12.7 to $34 a barrel (a rise by 300%) over a period of 34 months (from 1979 to October 1981) |
| 1979q1 | 201 | ||
| 1979q2 | 217 | ||
| 1979q3 | 218 | ||
| 1979q4 | 238 | ||
| 1980q1 | 243 | ||
| 1980q2 | 232 | ||
| 1980q3 | 219 | ||
| 1980q4 | 210 | ||
| 1981q1 | 205 | ||
| 1981q2 | 219 | ||
| 1981q3 | 231 | ||
| 1981q4 | 224 | ||
| 1982q1 | 233 | ||
| 1982q2 | 244 | ||
| 1982q3 | 258 | ||
| 1982q4 | 259 | ||
| 1983q1 | 235 | ||
| 1983q2 | 237 | ||
| 1983q3 | 242 | ||
| 1983q4 | 234 | ||
| 1984q1 | 231 | ||
| 1984q2 | 229 | ||
| 1984q3 | 243 | ||
| 1984q4 | 246 | ||
| 1985q1 | 257 | ||
| 1985q2 | 250 | ||
| 1985q3 | 238 | 9 | Plaza Agreement: Revaluation of the yen (depreciation of the dollar) |
| 1985q4 | 207 | High-yen recession: from 1986 to 1987 | |
| 1986q1 | 187 | ||
| 1986q2 | 170 | ||
| 1986q3 | 155 | ||
| 1986q4 | 160 | ||
| 1987q1 | 153 | ||
| 1987q2 | 142 | ||
| 1987q3 | 146 | ||
| 1987q4 | 135 | 10 | Black Monday (in the U.S.): The worldwide stock market crash that iniitally started on Wall Street. |
| 1988q1 | 128 | High-yen boom (Heisei Boom): from 1988 to 1990 | |
| 1988q2 | 125 | ||
| 1988q3 | 133 | ||
| 1988q4 | 125 | ||
| 1989q1 | 128 | ||
| 1989q2 | 137 | ||
| 1989q3 | 142 | ||
| 1989q4 | 143 | 12.29 | Peak of the Japanese stock price (Nikkei Avrg Stock Price)= 38,915 yen |
| 1990q1 | 147 | ||
| 1990q2 | 155 | ||
| 1990q3 | 145 | ||
| 1990q4 | 130 | Late 1990 to mid 1991: Peak of the Japanese land price | |
| 1991q1 | 133 | ||
| 1991q2 | 138 | Heisei Recession: from 1991 to present | |
| 1991q3 | 137 | ||
| 1991q4 | 129 | ||
| 1992q1 | 128 | ||
| 1992q2 | 130 | ||
| 1992q3 | 124 | ||
| 1992q4 | 122 | ||
| 1993q1 | 121 | ||
| 1993q2 | 110 | ||
| 1993q3 | 105 | ||
| 1993q4 | 108 | ||
| 1994q1 | 107 | ||
| 1994q2 | 103 | ||
| 1994q3 | 99 | ||
| 1994q4 | 98 | ||
| 1995q1 | 96 | ||
| 1995q2 | 84 | 4.19 | 79 yen/US$ |
| 1995q3 | 94 | ||
| 1995q4 | 101 | ||
| 1996q1 | 105 | ||
| 1996q2 | 107 | ||
| 1996q3 | 108 | ||
| 1996q4 | 112 | ||
| 1997q1 | 121 | ||
| 1997q2 | 119 | ||
| 1997q3 | 117 | 7 | Unstable Asian currencies |
| 1997q4 | 125 | 11 | Yamaichi Securities, Inc. went bankrupt. |
| 1998q1 | 128 | 6.15 | Close to147 yen/US$ |
| 1998q2 | |||
| 1998q3 | |||
| 1998q4 |