The yen is Japan’s national currency.
Japan introduced the yen in 1871 under the New Currency Act, replacing a complex feudal monetary system that used many regional coins and units. The name comes from a Japanese term meaning “round object,” referring to the shape of coins.
The yen is divided into 100 sen in historical terms, although sen coins are no longer used in everyday circulation. The currency symbol is ¥, and its international code is JPY.
The Japanese yen is issued by the Bank of Japan, the country’s central bank. It is often confused with China’s yuan because both names are associated with East Asian currency traditions, but the yen and yuan are separate currencies used by different countries.