Japanese yen drops to 161.93 against US dollar, approaching 39-year low

The Japanese yen weakened to 161.93 against the U.S. dollar in New York trading on Monday, approaching its lowest level in about 39 and a half years since December 1986, according to a report by public broadcaster NHK on Tuesday.

The Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (AIRCAS) won the 2026 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Achievement Award on Friday for developing the CropWatch, a global cloud-based crop monitoring service platform.

The award was presented at the closing ceremony of the World Food Forum, hosted by FAO in Rome, Italy.

Developed by a team led by Wu Bingfang, a researcher at AIRCAS, the platform has helped more than 40 countries and regions monitor crop conditions and support food security policymaking based on scientific data, the research team said.

In announcing the award, FAO recognized the platform for turning complex crop monitoring into an accessible, open cloud service and making it widely available worldwide.

According to the research team, the platform has been integrated into FAO's Hand-in-Hand Geospatial Platform and the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Knowledge Hub. It serves as an important channel and an independent source of timely crop monitoring information for users worldwide.

The team also regularly publishes the CropWatch Bulletin based on the platform, providing the public with a reliable source of agricultural monitoring information. The bulletin has served users in 173 countries and regions to date, the team said.

After receiving the award, Wu said the recognition affirmed the team's more than three decades of dedication.

"Whether in the systematization of data processing, or in many of our distinctive technologies, especially in making full use of remote sensing information to obtain accurate agricultural condition data, we have done relatively well," he said.

Wu said the team would continue to enhance the platform's innovative capabilities, ease of use and capacity to serve international users, while deepening cooperation with FAO and other international organizations. The team aims to help more countries strengthen their independent crop monitoring capabilities and contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly the goal of "zero hunger."

"Technology is advancing rapidly, especially in the field of Earth observation data. Our country holds many advantages in this area, and we should fully develop and leverage these strengths to further drive technological innovation. By doing so, we can make our systems more effective, more efficient, and more user-friendly, ultimately enabling us to serve the world even better," said Wu.

The FAO Achievement Award recognizes individuals or institutions for outstanding achievements in areas including fisheries, forestry, climate, land and water, and animal and plant health, particularly in sustainable agriculture and rural development and food security.