New Japanese banknotes get feminist

[Maciamo]

Feminist Author on Banknote

In a sign that things are changing for women in Japan, a 19th-century feminist author has been chosen to have her face on the new 5000-yen (42 Euro) banknote. Ichiyo Higuchi, who wrote of the unhappy and restricted lives of young Japanese women of her era, will peer out of one of three new banknotes that will feature sophisticated anti-counterfeit measures. The first major change to Japan's paper money in nearly two decades has been forced on the government by a jump in forgery. High-quality fake bills are being made with personal computers, and police report a massive rise in the number of counterfeit banknotes being detected. The new bills will feature the latest in anti-forgery technology, including pearl ink, latent images and the same holograms and watermark bar codes used on Europe's euro - and one new piece of technology that the Bank of Japan is keeping top secret. Higuchi, who died in 1896 at the age of 24, is not the first woman to grace modern Japanese banknotes. The 2000-yen notes that were introduced in 2000 feature Murasaki Shikibu, the 11th-century court lady who wrote the classic Tale of Genji. Those notes, however, have proved unpopular since they cannot be used in vending machines and are sometimes mistaken for 1000-yen bills.

Source : Lonely Planet


Well, for my part, I like the 2000 banknotes, vending machine or not. I wonder why they have been able to replace all machines for the new 500yen coins, but not a single one for the 2000 banknotes. How is it going to be when they'll change all the 1000, 5000 and 10000yen at th same time ?

You can see the new bank notes here

I have attached the new 5000yen for you :

[moyashi]

I have a B series 2000 yen note in my data-planner. hmmm, I wonder if it's like the US $2 dollar bill ... unluckuy.

THe 2,000 yen notes didn't pick up, 1 because the Japanese were so used to the standard 1, 5, and 10 yen splits. Also, because the vending machines didn't move over. And, becuase it would have required that all cash registers be re-done to make space for the extra variation.

Beyond conterfeiting it was also stated that the new notes where to help the economy by making all the vending machine companies refit their machines.

lolo ... I agree, they did the new 500 yen so what's the big deal for a new 1,000 yen note since most vending machines don't accept 5, and 10,ooo yen notes.

The 500 yen change was to combat the 500 wons (korean coins) that were billing drilled to lighten their weight. Size-wise they are close enough to fool most machines. It's a bit of work but if you trade out 50 yen for 450 yen enough times you are pretty happy after all the cigrattes and sodas you can buy

[Maciamo]

Yeah. It used to be the same with some European coins before the euro. Few people knew it, but a traveller and coin collector like me couldn't have missed it. For example, the 200 lire coin were exactly the same size and colour as the 5 Belgian francs. Unfortunately, they were also about the same value (4:5 ratio). I haven't checked them all, but the British 50 pence look quite like the ex-5 French francs (but again same value, that must have been planned by governments to avoid such kind of frauds, something visibly Japan and Korea can't work out together).

[moyashi]

Nope I'm sure Japan and Korea didn't even consider this until it was taken advantage of. haha, I bet they haven't still thought of contacting Korea or any of the other Asain countries to prevent another similar case.

Nice catch on the bit of information!

[deborah gormley]

@ Maciamo
I have a few coins myself, (not at your level )

I have a few romainian coins, dutch, spanish and belgium coins, I would love to collect coins but I'm sorry to say that alot of my family and friends do not go visiting alot of foreign countries, but I do have one note "50 o'tven forint, its says budapest 1986.. as for the origin of this note I have no idea!!! help if you can,, lol

[Maciamo]

Well it's a Hungarian forint. Was that your question ?

[deborah gormley]

yes! thank-you maciamo

now I wonder where I got that from??? hungarian note, I dont recall receiving it, but I'l have a ponder on where it came from(who gave it to me, should I say), I must get the other notes I have and see if I know which country they are from, If I get stuck on a note, may I ask you for further help?

[moyashi]

synchronisity

[francky]

It will be my first priority to go to a Paris Bureau de Change when these new notes come out. Same with the 2,000 I went out a 800h to get a few, they are nice though, I like to see the change on all the Japanese bills.

[Tachibana]

Wondering any of you know how to exchange the old Japanese banknotes that are still valid and redeemable at the Bank of Japan?

I was told by the Bank of Japan that I must be present at their counter or appoint someone to be my agent to exchange them.

I do not know anyone. I am not planning on flying to Japan at this point.

Would appreciate any information or assistance in this matter.

Thanks!

[wintersweet]

Excellent to hear.

[Maciamo]

UPDATE

The new 1000-yen, 5000-yen and 10,000yen Japanese banknotes will be released on 1 November 2004, one day before the US presidential elections.

More detailed info from the Yomiuri Shimbun here

[–¼–³‚µ]

Originally Posted by Maciamo

The new 1000-yen, 5000-yen and 10,000yen Japanese banknotes will be released on 1 November 2004, one day before the US presidential elections.

Today.



Related thread

[Maciamo]

That's official. The new Japanese banknotes have been released at 6am this morning. To my dismay (as a former collector), all the Japanese I talked to about it (a dozen of them) were not aware of the release of the new banknotes, even those working in financial institutions ! Well, this is Japan...

[Brooker]

They need some Y500 bills rather than coins. It's such a pain walking around with bulging pockets full of change. Paper money is much better.

[Maciamo]

Originally Posted by Brooker

They need some Y500 bills rather than coins. It's such a pain walking around with bulging pockets full of change. Paper money is much better.

There used to be 500yen banknotes, but they were changed for coins !

Interestingly, the US's smallest bill is 1$ (=100yen), while Japan is 1000yen (10$). Europe stands in the middle with the smallest euro banknote being 5 euro (500yen). But all the smallest coins are about the same value (1 cent, 1 yen). Does that mean that American have the strongest preference for bills and Japanese the strongest for coins ? Japan has only 3 widely used banknotes (4 in total), compared to 7 in euro and formerly up to 12 in US$ (now mostly 6)

More info here

[Lina Inverse]

Very nice bills indeed!
However, the red stripes look rather odd...

[Brooker]

Americans like their bills. Not Canadians. Every time I go to Canada I have to wear suspenders to keep my pants from falling off from the weight of all the coins. They got their $1 and $2 "loonies" and "toonies".

[wintersweet]

I like the American gold $1 coins, but no one uses them.

If they made a Yosano Akiko, Sei Shonagon, Murasaki Shikibu, or Ono no Komachi bill in Japan, I'd keep it as a souvenir even if it were a 5000Y bill.

[nekosasori]

My husband visited three bank branches today, and not only did noone here (Ireland) know about new Japanese notes, but they all told him that they're not responsible for exchanging the old for new, and suggested that we go to Japan if we want to trade in our old for new.

*sigh*

[wintersweet]

Originally Posted by wintersweet

I like the American gold $1 coins, but no one uses them.

If they made a Yosano Akiko, Sei Shonagon, Murasaki Shikibu, or Ono no Komachi bill in Japan, I'd keep it as a souvenir even if it were a 5000Y bill.

I am an idiot. It says in the intro paragraph that there is a Murasaki bill. I don't remember seeing it, but damn, I want one. Maybe when I go back.

[Maciamo]

Originally Posted by wintersweet

I am an idiot. It says in the intro paragraph that there is a Murasaki bill. I don't remember seeing it, but damn, I want one. Maybe when I go back.

It is quite rare (a bit like the 2US$ bills or 1US$ coiins). I only see them once every 6 months or so.

Btw, it's over a week that the new banknotes have been released and I haven't seen one yet ! The Japanese central bank or the Japanese people not in the same hurry to change the old banknotes as with the Euro in 2002, when people rushed to the nearest ATM at midnight to see them. There were even people queueing, and all ATM's had the new "euro" banknotes. Quite different in Japan. At this rythm, it will take 6 months for everybody to see them.

[Lina Inverse]

Originally Posted by Maciamo

It is quite rare (a bit like the 2US$ bills or 1US$ coiins). I only see them once every 6 months or so.

Btw, it's over a week that the new banknotes have been released and I haven't seen one yet ! The Japanese central bank or the Japanese people not in the same hurry to change the old banknotes as with the Euro in 2002, when people rushed to the nearest ATM at midnight to see them. There were even people queueing, and all ATM's had the new "euro" banknotes. Quite different in Japan. At this rythm, it will take 6 months for everybody to see them.

Yes, there was quite a rush to get the new €uro notes. There was even some broad advanced exchange of €uro coins to keep it down somewhat.
Apparently, the Japanese are more pragmatically here and don't care that much whose face is on the bill, as long as they can pay with it.

[bossel]

Well, there is big difference between changing some bank notes & changing a currency.
If in Europe new notes were introduced, most people didn't care, either (with the exception of collectors).