Tokyo: Japan has finished the printing of the current 10,000-yen banknote, with a portrait of prominent educator Yukichi Fukuzawa, it has been learned.

Production has also been terminated for the 5,000- and 1,000-yen bills, with portraits of Meiji era (1868-1912) writer Ichiyo Higuchi and bacteriologist Hideyo Noguchi, respectively.

Mass production of the redesigned 10,000-, 5,000- and 1,000-yen banknotes has already started, with their circulation slated to begin in the first half of fiscal 2024.

The new 10,000-yen bill has a portrait of Eiichi Shibusawa, known as the father of Japan’s capitalism. The new 5,000- and 1,000-yen bills have portraits of Umeko Tsuda, who contributed to promoting education for women, and Shibasaburo Kitasato, known as the father of modern medicine in Japan, respectively.

The banknote redesigning, announced by the Japanese government in 2019, is intended to prevent counterfeiting.

The National Printing Bureau began mass-producing the three new banknotes in June-July this year.

As of the end of fiscal 2021, the combined number of the current banknotes in circulation stood at some 16.6 billion, with their total value amounting to 119.9 trillion yen.

JIJI Press