Why is the Japanese Yen almost worthless in comparison to the dollar, even though Japan is the3rd largest global economy?

Question

Why is the Japanese Yen almost worthless in comparison to the dollar, even though Japan is the3rd largest global economy?

In: Economics

Answer 1

The yen is about equivalent to the US cent. Imagine if everything was measured in cents instead of dollars ( e.g. 100 cent stores, 500 cent footlongs, 99,900 cent iPhones). The cent would seem worthless compared to the British Pound even though the US has/had the largest economy.