TOKYO, Feb 21 - Eisuke Sakakibara, a former diplomat at Japan's Finance Ministry, said on Thursday it was "not unlikely" that the dollar would reach 150-160 yen towards the year-end. "What we're in at this moment is an economic crisis. Economic crises eventually reach the financial sector as well," Sakakibara said. "It is not unlikely for the exchange rate to reach 150-160 towards the end of this year," he said. He added that although he expected a "March crisis", which it is feared could hit the financial sector towards the fiscal year-end on March 31, he felt it could be avoided. Sakakibara, now a professor at Keio University, was offering his outlook during a speech on Japan's structural reforms in Tokyo. Sakakibara, formerly vice finance minister for international affairs, gave up responsibility for currencies at the MOF in 1999 but his remarks still carry weight in the currency markets, where he is reckoned to have some influence over the administration.