Japan to issue 3 new banknotes in July 2024

Japan will start issuing new 10,000 yen (US$69), 5,000 yen and 1,000 yen banknotes on July 3, 2024, marking the first redesign since 2004, the government said Tuesday.

The redesigned 10,000 yen bill will feature industrialist Eiichi Shibusawa, known as "the father of Japanese capitalism," according to the Finance Ministry and the Bank of Japan.

The new 5,000 yen bill will carry an image of Umeko Tsuda, an educator who pioneered women's higher education, while the 1,000 yen note will feature microbiologist Shibasaburo Kitasato, who developed a serum therapy for tetanus.

The government said even after the new bills begin circulating, the current banknotes will remain legal tender.

The new banknotes will incorporate three-dimensional hologram technology to combat counterfeiting, the first use on any country's currency.