* Yen stays below 15-yr high vs dlr, Japan action in focus
* Japan govt to urge BOJ to ease monetary policy -media
* Dollar under pressure after weak goods orders, housing data
By Rika Otsuka
TOKYO, Aug 26 (Reuters) - The yen slipped further away from a 15-year high against the dollar as investors waited to see if Japanese authorities would act beyond intervening verbally to rein in gains in the yen.
The greenback was under pressure after U.S. data the previous day heightened fears the world's biggest economy was at risk of another downturn. New home sales slumped to the slowest pace on record in July and durable goods orders were weaker than expected in the same month.
The euro further recovered from a nine-year trough against the yen after data showed on Wednesday business morale in Germany improved to its highest in more than three years in August, offsetting concerns about fiscally weak euro zone countries.
News that Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa will attend the Kansas City Federal Reserve conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, this week was making some players hesitant to push the yen higher, analysts said.
"Investors are cautiously watching whether Japanese authorities will do something," said Hideki Amikura, deputy general manager of the forex section at Nomura Trust and Banking.
"Shirakawa is likely to speak to (Federal Reserve Chairman Ben) Bernanke and other central bankers in Jackson Hole, and that is prompting market players to speculate about possible Japanese action."
The Japanese government will urge the BOJ to ease monetary policy further to ease the pain in the economy from a strong yen in an economic stimulus package now being worked out, the Asahi newspaper said on Thursday.
The dollar rose 0.2 percent from late U.S. trade to 84.77 yen, having risen from a 15-year trough of 83.58 yen struck on trading platform EBS on Tuesday.
The euro climbed 0.4 percent on the day to 107.48 yen. The single currency plunged as low as 105.44 yen on Tuesday, its lowest since 2001.
Against the greenback, the euro inched up 0.1 percent to $1.2676, staying above a 6-week low of $1.2588 hit earlier this week. (Reporting by Rika Otsuka; Editing by Joseph Radford)