* Japanese exporter selling dents dollar/yen
* Greenback initially helped by Japanese corp demand
* Aussie/USD hits 13-mth high after retail data
* Sterling recovers $1.60 on consumer confidence data
By Rika Otsuka
TOKYO, Sept 30 (Reuters) - The dollar slipped against the yen on Wednesday as Japanese exporters sold the U.S. currency to settle business before the quarter ends later in the day, although it was well off eight-month lows marked earlier this week.
The Australian dollar hit a 13-month peak against the greenback after data showed the country's retail sales rose by more than expected in August, adding to the case for a rise in interest rates as early as November.
Sterling rose against the dollar after the GfK/NOP consumer confidence index posted its biggest monthly jump in more than 14 years in September.
The dollar/yen was whipped around by flows related to the end of the quarter, as well as Japan's fiscal half-year on Wednesday.
The pair rose in early Asian trade as Japanese importers bought dollars. But the greenback soon erased gains as such corporate demand faded quickly.
"The market is dominated by quarter-end flows from companies and position-squaring by investors, temporarily lacking a clear sense of direction," said Tsutomu Soma, senior manager of foreign securities at Okasan Securities.
"But the dollar will stay in a downtrend in the longer-term, with some looking for a chance to sell it on rebounds," Soma said.
The dollar slipped 0.3 percent from late U.S. trade to 89.75 yen. It got a boost on Tuesday when speculators covered short dollar positions.
Traders said more technical adjustments could emerge after the greenback fell sharply to strike an eight-month trough near 88.20 yen on Monday.
On the quarter, the dollar plunged nearly 7 percent against the yen.
Japanese Finance Minister Hirohisa Fujii said on Tuesday the government may take action if currency moves were irregular, backtracking on earlier comments that suggested authorities were comfortable with a rising yen.
Japan has not intervened in forex markets since 2004 and many market players doubt the new government, led by the Democratic Party which swept to victory in elections last month, will depart from the old administration's stance.
"The U.S. dollar will remain under pressure to depreciate while currencies in Asia will tend to rise given improving growth prospects in the region," said Stephen Roberts, an economist at Nomura in Sydney.
The euro inched up 0.2 percent to $1.4620, having climbed over 4 percent so far in July-September.
Against the yen, the euro was down 0.1 percent at 131.29 yen, well above a two-month low of 129.84 struck on Monday on EBS.
The Australian dollar climbed 0.9 percent to $0.8792, having struck a 13-month high of $0.8805 after the release of the retail sales data. As investors fetched higher-yielding currencies this quarter, the Aussie jumped more than 9 percent against the dollar from the previous quarter.
Sterling rose 0.4 percent to $1.6018. (Additional reporting by Anirban Nag in Sydney; Editing by Joseph Radford)