The yen is Japan’s official national currency and is written with the symbol ¥ or the international code JPY.
Japan introduced the yen in 1871 during the Meiji era, replacing a complex system of feudal coinages. The word yen means “round,” referring to the shape of coins. The currency is issued and managed within Japan’s modern monetary system, with the Bank of Japan serving as the country’s central bank.
The yen is divided into 100 sen in the formal currency system, although sen coins are no longer used in everyday transactions. Modern Japanese coins include denominations from 1 yen to 500 yen, while banknotes include 1,000-yen, 2,000-yen, 5,000-yen and 10,000-yen notes.
The Korean won and Chinese yuan are different currencies in neighbouring countries. The Indonesian rupiah is another Asian currency, but it belongs to Indonesia rather than Japan.