At 5 p.m., the dollar fetched 90.02-03 yen versus Tuesday's 5 p.m. quotes of 89.78-88 yen in New York and 89.86-87 yen in Tokyo.

The currency moved between 89.29 yen and 90.03 yen, trading most frequently at 89.60 yen.

The euro traded at $1.5008-5010 and 135.11-15 yen against late Tuesday's quotes of $1.4988-4998 and 134.60-70 yen in New York and $1.4970-4971 and 134.52-56 yen in Tokyo.

Geithner said during a group interview in Tokyo that he believes it is very important "for the economic health of the United States that we maintain a strong dollar."

But the comment, a reiteration of what he has already said, failed to rein in bearish investor sentiment about the dollar, prompting some market participants to sell the currency, dealers said.

"His comments in support of a strong dollar were nothing new...and that itself did not change the trend," said a manager of the foreign exchange department at a major Japanese bank. "He might have had to say that because not doing so will lead to further dollar selling."

Earlier Wednesday, China's official economic data showed industrial production and retail sales at a faster pace than widely expected in October from a year earlier, benefiting the dollar, though its gains were capped because not all of the data were encouraging, dealers said.

The currency market reacted positively at first, "as the Chinese data were slightly better (than expected)...but they were not something that could leave a major impact beyond that," said Yuki Sakasai, a foreign exchange strategist at Barclays Bank in Tokyo.

Analysts and dealers said that dollar bearish sentiment is still at play in the market amid widespread speculation that low interest rates will continue in the United States, and that would benefit the euro which has been showing resilience around the $1.5 line.

"Although the market does not have major trading themes at present, I think that the practice of selling the dollar and buying risky assets has returned to the market," said Etsuko Yamashita, chief economist at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp.

"But the dollar-yen pair will be directionless going forward as both the dollar and the yen tend to be sold" in the process of investors shifting into higher-yielding assets, she said.