Ahsante kwa majibu mazuri. Kama nitakuwa nimekuelewa japan wanaifanya pesa yao kuwa weak
HAPANA... Yen ni Floating Currency. Floating Currency ni currency ambayo bei yake inakuwa determined by market force. Kwa maana nyingine there's no government intervention linapokuja suala la bei ya Yen.
So, why it's weak?
Kwanza sio sahii sana kusema Yen ni weak currency. Kuwa na bei ndogo haiwezi kuwa enough determinant kuita sarafu husika ni weak especially kama hiyo bei ndogo ni stable.
Tunasema Currency X ni weak pale inapokuwa inashuka thamani over time... kwa mfano, shilling yetu inavyoshuka thamani time to time ndipo unaweza kusema TZS ni weak currency but I don't think kama hicho ndicho hutokea kwa YEN.
Na ingawaje sijaangalia trend ya Kenyan Shilling vs Yen lakini ni matumaini yangu ukiangalia bei ya KSH vs JPY kwa miaka 5 iliyopita; sina shaka utakuta ni KSH ndiyo inashuka thamani dhidi ya JPY. The same for US $ vs JPY. Sina shaka miaka 5 iliyopita mtu alitakiwa kulipa more Yen for 1$ kuliko ilivyo hivi sasa thus concluding JPY is Appreciating/Inapanda thamani even against USD na sio kushuka! Hiyo nayo ina-conclude JPY sio weak currency kwa sababu uchumi wa Japan unatosha sana kuifanya sarafu yake kuwa strong.
In short, Yen ni moja ya sarafu imara sana duniani ingawaje bei yake ( I hate to say thamani yake) ipo chini sana!
So, kwa ajili ya mjadala huu wacha tutumie neno Cheap Currency.
In short, source ya sababu cheap ni very historical. First factor ni kushuka kwa thamani ya Silver takribani karne moja iliyopita.
By the time, thamani ya YEN ilikuwa inakuwa quoted by silver value na kwahiyo thamani ya silver iliposhuka; thamani ya Yen nayo ikashuka!
Later on, ikaja Vita Kuu ya Pili ya Dunia na Japan alikuwa mdau mkuu wa ile vita.
Baada ya vita kwisha; uchumi wa Japan ukaathirika sana na hivyo kuifanya Yen kuendelea kuporomoka!
Miaka kadhaa baadae, uchumi wa Japan ukaanza kukaa vizuri to the point ikafika wakati Yen nayo ikaanza ku-recover na kuwa stable though still ilikuwa bado cheap kulinganisha na sarafu zingine!
From time to time ikaanza kupanda thamani just by the influence of market force na sio kama ambavyo walifanya akina Nyerere!
Lakini vile vile tusisahau zamani nchi nyingi zilikuwa zina-interfere thamani ya sarafu yake! Tanzania ya Nyerere kwa mfano, ingawaje uchumi ulikuwa mbovu lakini shilingi ilikuwa very expensive... hayo yalikuwa matunda machungu ya government intervention.
Inavyoelekea, Japan hawakutaka ku-intervene sarafu yao na kama walikuwa wanafanya basi ni kwa kiwango cha chini sana lakini kwa kiasi kikubwa waliiacha YEN ipambane na nguvu ya soko huku serikali ikijikita kuimarisha uchumi wake kama factor kuu ya kuchochea thamani ya sarafu ya nchi husika!
Na kwavile uchumi wake ulishaanza kutengemaa, bila shaka walishaanza kuyaona matunda ya kuwa na cheap currency huku production ikiwa juu!
REMEMBER, YEN sio WEAK Currency but ni among the STRONGEST Currency ingawaje ni very CHEAP!
Aidha, sarafu kuwa imara haimaanishi kwamba bei yake ni kubwa! Sarafu inaweza kuwa very cheap na still ikawa considered ni strong currency provided ipo bei yake hai-fluctuate hovyo hovyo...
Yuan kwa mfano, ni very expensive ukilinganisha na Dollar lakini hata forex traders wanaikwepa kwa sababu hawafahamu serikali ya China itafanya nini kuhusu Yuan katikati ya trading session!