A New Series of Bank of Japan Notes

On 3 July 2024, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) started issuing a new series of banknotes consisting of 10,000 yen, 5,000 yen, and 1,000 yen notes: a historic moment in Japan, as this is the first time in 20 years that a new series of banknotes has been introduced.

All three denominations were introduced on the same day. The front of the notes features portraits of historical figures who shaped modern Japan: Eiichi Shibusawa, a prominent business leader and entrepreneur, on the 10,000 yen note; Umeko Tsuda, a pioneer in higher education for women in Japan, on the 5,000 yen note; and Shibasaburo Kitasato, a renowned microbiologist, on the 1,000 yen note.

The back of the notes features aspects of Japan’s culture and nature, with an illustration of the Tokyo Station Marunouchi Building on the 10,000 yen note; Japanese wisteria flowers, or fuji, on the 5,000 yen note; and ‘Under the Great Wave off Kanagawa’, an iconic ukiyo-e print by Katsushika Hokusai on the 1,000 yen note (ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese woodblock print that flourished from the 17th to 19th century).