Japan's yen surges after US jobs data, traders alert to intervention risk

LONDON, Aug 7 (Reuters) - The yen jumped suddenly against the dollar again on Friday after a surprisingly weak U.S. employment report, with traders alert to the prospect of intervention just a few days after Japanese and U.S. authorities jointly stepped into the foreign exchange markets to lift the stubbornly weak currency.

The dollar fell by as much as 1.1% to 156.68 JPY= and was last trading at 157.1, well away from the 40-year high of 163.99 hit in July.

It was not immediately clear what drove the market move or whether Japanese authorities were in the market.

Japan and the United States conducted coordinated yen-buying intervention last Friday and will not hesitate to take further action, Japan's finance ministry said on Monday, confirming a rare bilateral action to halt the yen's slide.

(Reporting by Sophie Kiderlin, Satoshi Sugiyama and Rae Wee, editing by Amanda Cooper)