A sample of a new 10,000 Yen banknote is displayed under a light to demonstrate how it differs from a forgery at the currency museum of the Bank of Japan, on the day the new notes of 10,000 yen, 5,000 yen and 1,000 yen went into circulation, in Tokyo, Japan July 3, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)

The notes use printed patterns to generate holograms of portraits of historical figures associated with Japan’s financial and educational institutions, facing different directions, depending on the angle of view.

The new bills come in 10,000 yen (62 USD), 5,000 yen (31 USD), and 1,000 yen (6 USD), with new security features, including some world-first solutions to prevent counterfeiting and enhance usability. In addition, enlarged Arabic numerals will replace the previous kanji characters for easier recognition by people of all ages and nationalities, as well as tactile marks to assist the visually impaired in identifying denominations by touch. 

The Bank of Japan will first start offering the new banknotes to financial institutions, and those banks will start using them once they are prepared. This means it will vary between financial institutions when the new banknotes are made available to users via ATMs and cashier windows.