日本经济前景昨日进一步恶化，美元兑日元汇率逾12年来首次跌破100日元关口，这增加了日本政府面临的一系列经济问题。

The outlook for Japan's economy darkened further yesterday as the dollar slid past the Y100 mark for the first time in more than 12 years, adding to the litany of economic headaches facing Japan's government.

美元兑日元汇率在日本交易时段试探100日元关口后，在欧洲交易时段跌至99.77日元。美元汇率上一次跌破100日元是在1995年9月。法国兴业银行(Societe Generale)外汇交易部门驻东京主管Yuji Saito表示：“这让人揣测，美元会跌到何种程度。”

The dollar fell to Y99.77 in Europe after earlier testing the Y100 level during Japan's trading day. It last went below Y100 in September 1995. “It makes you wonder how far the dollar can fall,” said Yuji Saito, head of the foreign exchange sales department at Société Générale in Tokyo.

此外，欧元兑美元的汇率也一度创下一欧元兑1.56美元的新高纪录，此后，又略微下降。

The euro moved to record highs above $1.56 before easing slightly.

许多经济学家已经在预测，日本经济增速将从2008年第一季度开始放缓，原因是开始受到该国第二大贸易伙伴美国经济放缓的影响，影响出口。出口是日本经济增长的主要动力之一。

Many economists¹ are already expecting economic growth to slow in Japan from the first quarter of 2008 as the economy starts feeling the pain of a slowdown in the US, its second-largest trading partner, hurting exports, one of Japan's main drivers of growth.

然而，日元持续高企的影响，加之疲弱的消费者支出和不断飙升的石油及食品价格，给了日本政府强有力的理由，来担心经济的不断放缓。日元升值降低了出口商的价格竞争力。 But the added effect of a persistently² high yen³, which makes exporters' prices less competitive, together with lacklustre consumer spending and surging oil and food prices, leaves the Japanese government with a strong reason to be concerned about the slowing economy.

日本财务大臣额贺福志郎(Fukushiro Nukaga)在日元汇率跌破100日元关键点位后表示：“汇率过分波动不利于经济增长。”

“Excessive volatility⁴ in exchange rates is not desirable for economic growth,” Fukushiro Nukaga, finance minister, said after the currency broke below the key Y100 mark.

日本经济财政大臣大田弘子(Hiroko Ota)讲得更为具体，她向一个议会委员会表示，日元不断升值及原油价格不断上涨“正开始影响到（日本）企业收益”，特别是小企业。

Hiroko Ota, economics minister, was more specific, telling a parliamentary committee that the rising yen and rising crude oil prices “are beginning to have an impact on [Japanese] corporate⁵ earnings”, especially at small companies.

据路透社(Reuters)报道，日本财务省表示，尽管预计政府不会进行市场干预，但政府正谨慎关注汇率波动。日本在外汇市场干预方面有着悠久的历史，以此限制日元升值、保护出口商。但4年来，日本政府一直没有采取干预行动，因为日本经济已摆脱长达10年的经济滑坡。

The finance ministry⁶ said it was watching currency moves carefully, according to Reuters, although the government is not expected to intervene in the market. Japan has a long history of intervening in currency markets to cap the yen and protect exporters. But it has not done so for four years as the economy has pulled out of its decade-long slump⁷.