* Templeton's Hasenstab: keeping bet against yen vs dollar
* Does not expect yen intervention by Japan
* Sees U.S. yields rising in medium term on fiscal deficit
SINGAPORE, Sept 8 (Reuters) - The yen will probably weaken against the U.S. dollar and other Asian currencies once Japanese officials are forced to take more steps to ease policy, Michael Hasenstab, Franklin Templeton's co-director of international bonds, said on Wednesday.
That was prompting Templeton to maintain a bet against the yen, which is near a 15-year high against the dollar, Hasenstab told the Dealing Room, a Reuters messaging chatroom.
"The only source of strength in the Japanese economy is exports. And with the yen sub 90 (per dollar), they will be under extreme pressure," he said.
"With deflation still a problem in Japan and the yen so strong, we would expect some form of policy action," said Hasenstab, whose group oversees about $234 billion in assets.
The yen has risen 11 percent against the dollar so far this
year
Hasenstab said he neither expected a double-dip U.S. recession, nor a bout of deflation. However, he predicted the bulging U.S. fiscal deficit would push up Treasury yields in the medium term and drive up the dollar against the yen.
Japanese Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda said on Wednesday that Japan would take decisive steps on the yen's rise when needed, including intervening in the market to weaken the currency. [ID:nTKF106999]
The last time Japan took such a step was in 2004.
Japan is seeking to pump billions of yen into the money market and as a next step may increase Japanese government bond purchases or adopt quantitative easing, whereby the central bank floods the banking system with cash to support the economy. (Reporting by Kevin Lim and Saikat Chatterjee in HONG KONG; Editing by Chris Lewis)