The yen is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the euro.
The 5-yen coin is a denomination of the Japanese yen. The current design was first minted in 1959, using Japanese characters known as the "new script" and kanji in the kaisho style, and were also minted from 1948 to 1958 using "old-script" Japanese characters in the gothic style. Five-yen coins date to 1870. The modern-day coin was first produced in 1948 with a differently styled inscription. This was changed in 1959 and the design has remained unchanged since.
Nagano Olympic Memorial Arena, or M-Wave, is a covered speed skating oval in the city of Nagano, Japan. M-Wave, which opened in November, 1996, was constructed for the speed skating events at the 1998 Winter Olympics. It was Japan's first International Skating Union (ISU) standard indoor 400m double-track, and only second indoor track speed skating in Japan. The other, Meiji Hokkaido-Tokachi Oval, is located in Obihiro, Hokkaido.
The 10 yen coin is one denomination of the Japanese yen.
The 500 yen coin is the largest denomination of Japanese yen coin issued for circulation. These coins were first struck in 1982 as the vending machine industry needed a higher valued coin for use in their machines. The denomination had previously been issued as paper currency which co-circulated with the new coins until 1994. Originally the 500 yen coin was made up of cupronickel, but was later changed to nickel brass, and then to bi-metallic to deter counterfeiting. This illegal practice has been a constant issue since the coin was first released due to its high purchase value. With a history spanning 3 imperial eras, 500 yen coins are also collectibles.
Banknotes of the Japanese yen are the banknotes of Japan, denominated in Japanese yen (¥). These are all released by a centralized bank which was established in 1882, known as the Bank of Japan. The first notes to be printed were released between 1885 and 1887 in denominations of 1 to 100 yen. Throughout their history, the denominations have ranged from 0.05 yen to 10,000 yen. Banknotes under 1 yen were abolished in 1953, and those under 500 yen were discontinued by 1984. Higher end notes of 1000 yen and more made their appearance in the 1950s. These continue to be issued to the present in ¥1000, ¥2000, ¥5000, and ¥10,000 denominations. The formerly used notes of 1 to 500 yen from 1946 to the 1980s, while discontinued, continue to be valid. These are, however, worth more than their face value on the collector's market.
The 1-yen coin is the smallest denomination of the Japanese yen currency. Historically they were initially made of both silver and gold in the early 1870s. Issues facing the Japanese government at the time included wanting to adopt the gold standard, and competing against the Mexican dollar for use in foreign trade. The decision was made to use silver one yen coins exclusively outside of Japan for trade, while gold coins were minted and used in mainland Japan. Gold and silver coins were eventually allowed to co-circulate in mainland Japan from 1878 to 1897 when they were demonetized. Millions of former one yen silver coins were countermarked by the Japanese government for use outside of the mainland. Silver one yen coins continued to be minted until 1914 for backing up currency.
The 100 yen coin is a denomination of Japanese yen. These coins were first minted in 1957 using a silver alloy, before the current design was adopted with an alloy change in 1967. It is the second-highest denomination coin in Japan, after the 500 yen coin. The current 100 yen coin is one of two denominations that depict the emperor's rule date in Arabic numerals rather than kanji.
The 1000 yen coin is a denomination of the Japanese yen. This denomination is only used for the issue of commemorative silver coins struck by the Japan Mint.
The 50 sen coin (五十銭硬貨) was a Japanese coin worth half of a Japanese yen, as 100 sen equalled 1 yen. These coins circulated from the late 19th century to the early 1950s, when Japan adopted a single currency unit and this coin was demonetized.
The 10 sen coin (十銭硬貨) was a Japanese coin worth one tenth of a Japanese yen, as 100 sen equalled 1 yen. These coins were minted from the late 19th century up until the end of World War II.
The half sen coin (半銭) was a Japanese coin worth one two-hundredth of a Japanese yen, as 100 sen equalled 1 yen. All half sen coins were minted during the Meiji period between 1873 and 1888, and are made from nearly pure copper. These coins were later replaced for a brief time by another coin with the same value in the 1910s. The half sen coin was demonetized at the end of 1953 along with other subsidiary coinage and is no longer legal tender. They are now readily available for collectors to own as coins from this denomination were minted in large quantities.
The five rin coin (五厘青銅貨) was a Japanese coin worth one two-hundredth of a Japanese yen, as 5 rin equalled +1⁄2 sen, and 100 sen equaled 1 yen. These coins were a successor to the equally valued half sen coin which was previously minted until 1888. Overall, the history of the five rin coin is brief as they were only minted from 1916 to 1919 before being devalued monetarily. They were later demonetized by the end of 1953 and are now widely available for collectors.
The 20 yen coin (二十圓硬貨) was a denomination of Japanese yen. These coins were minted in gold, and during their lifespan were the highest denomination of coin that circulated in the country. The first coins were minted in 1870 following the introduction of a decimal currency system. Twenty Yen coins spanned three different Imperial eras before mintage was halted in 1932. Many of these coins were then melted or destroyed as a result of the wars between 1931 and 1945. These coins are now collected by numismatists for academic study, and by those with a hobby.
The 5,000 yen coin is a denomination of the Japanese yen used only for commemoratives struck by the Japan Mint. These are made only for collectors who purchase them directly from the mint at a premium. 5000 yen commemorative coins have historically been struck in a silver alloy since 1990. This practice changed in 2021 when gold was used for the first time for a coin celebrating 150 years of Japan's modern currency system. Measurements for the coins in terms of width and weight have remained the same except for the gold issue when these were lowered. Earlier coins were also once struck in the millions before the alloy change took place.
The 2 sen coin (二銭硬貨) was a Japanese coin worth one-fiftieth of a Japanese yen, as 100 sen equalled 1 yen. Two sen coins were minted during the Meiji period, and are made from nearly pure copper. Priority was initially given to silver coins when the new yen currency system was adopted in 1871 as copper coins could not be produced yet. Aside from a design change and a two year lapse, two sen coins were made from 1873 to 1884. The two sen coin was then discontinued and eventually demonetized in the mid-20th century. These coins are now sought after as collectors items which bring premium amounts depending on the date and condition.
The 100,000 yen coin is a denomination of the Japanese yen. Only two different types of coins have ever been struck in this denomination, which is only used for the minting of commemorative coins struck by the Japan Mint. Proof coinage and uncirculated examples were made for collectors, none were ever intended or released for circulation.
The 500 yen coin is a denomination of the Japanese yen. In addition to being used as circulating currency, this denomination has also been used to make commemorative coins struck by the Japan Mint. These coins are intended for collectors only and were never issued for circulation.
The 50 sen note (五十銭紙幣) was a denomination of Japanese yen in six different government issued series from 1872 to 1948 for use in commerce. Those in the "Meiji Tsūhō" series are the first modern banknotes issued after Japanese officials studied western culture. Counterfeiting eventually became an issue which led to the issuance of "Ōkura-kyō" notes in 1882. These were issued as part of a larger series featuring Empress Jingū on the obverse. Both of these series of fifty sen notes circulated alongside fifty sen coins until their abolishment in 1899. No additional notes were issued for this era as the other four series are tied in some way to the world wars. Fifty sen notes returned during the Taishō era in the form of an emergency issue due to a coin shortage and rising silver prices. These were issued between 1917 and 1922 before the situation settled enough to resume coinage. Silver became an issue again during the Shōwa era in lieu of the Second Sino-Japanese War, which prompted the government to issue "Fuji Sakura" notes in 1938. As the war raged on, the notes were changed in design to be more nationalistic. The "Yasukuni" series was issued from 1942 to 1945 depicting images related to State Shinto. These were allowed to be released again for a final time after the war had ended. Fifty sen notes were last issued in 1948 featuring no references to the Emperor. Pre-war notes were abolished on August 31, 1948, while the last series continued to circulate until the end of 1953. Fifty sen notes are now bought and sold as collectors items depending on condition.
Meiji Tsūhō (明治通宝) refers to the first paper currency that was issued by the Imperial Japanese government during the early Meiji era. After the "yen" was officially adopted in 1871, the Japanese looked to the Western World for their improved paper currency technology. An agreement was made with Italian engraver Edoardo Chiossone, who designed 6 denominations of Yen, and 3 denominations of Sen. The Japanese Government's decision to issue these notes as fiat currency ended in disaster as inflation rose following the Satsuma Rebellion. Meiji Tsūhō notes were ultimately demonetized towards the end of the 19th century.
