* Dollar hits session high vs yen after BOJ's buying ops
* Yen had previously strengthened after China surprise rate hike
* Dollar index pulls away from lowest levels since November
* U.S. employers seen to have added 175,000 jobs in January
TOKYO, Feb 3 (Reuters) - The recently beleaguered dollar rose to its session high against the yen on Friday after the Bank of Japan offered to buy Japanese government bonds in a surprise operation aimed at bringing down JGB yields, as investors awaited U.S. jobs data later in the session.
The dollar was up 0.2 percent at 113.04 yen after rising as high as 113.24 earlier. It had slumped to 112.05 yen overnight, its lowest since late November, and was still on track to fall 1.8 percent for the week.
The BOJ offered to buy benchmark 10-year Japanese government bonds in a special operation on Friday, aimed at keeping the 10-year yield at its target of around zero percent.
"The yen might continue to weaken against the dollar after today's action," said Masashi Murata, senior currency strategist at Brown Brothers Harriman.
"Some participants may have concerns about the BOJ's previous actions, or lack of action, when JGB yields have risen, so it's a good signal," he said. "But my feeling is that BOJ also doesn't want to keep expanding their balance sheet."
The BOJ held policy steady on Tuesday at the conclusion of its two-day meeting, maintaining its pledge to guide short-term interest rates around minus 0.1 percent and the 10-year JGB yield to around zero.
The perceived safe-haven yen had risen to a session high of 112.505 yen against the dollar in late morning Tokyo time, after regional stock markets dropped after China unexpectedly raised short-term interest rates.
US JOBS DATA IN FOCUS
The dollar was also poised for weekly losses against a basket of currencies, as investors awaited U.S. employment data for clues to the timing of the Federal Reserve's next interest rate hike.
Data released on Thursday showed the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week. The nonfarm payrolls report is due later in the session and is expected to show employers added 175,000 jobs in January, according to the median of 102 economists polled by Reuters.
Other data on Thursday showed worker productivity slowing in the fourth quarter, which economists said suggested companies would need to keep hiring to increase output.
The dollar index, which gauges the greenback against six major currencies, edged up 0.1 percent to 99.870, on track to shed 0.7 percent for a week that saw it dip as low as 99.233, its lowest since late November.