Which country uses the yen as its official currency?

Japan uses the yen as its official currency.

The Japanese yen is written 円 in Japanese and is commonly represented internationally by the symbol ¥ or the code JPY. It is issued by the Bank of Japan, the country’s central bank. Yen banknotes and coins are used for everyday payments throughout Japan.

The currency was introduced in 1871 under the New Currency Act, during the Meiji period. The reform created a modern decimal currency system and replaced a complex collection of feudal-era monetary units. “Yen” comes from a Japanese word meaning “round,” referring to the shape of coins.

Japan’s currency is sometimes confused with the Chinese yuan because the words share historical roots and related characters. The yuan is China’s basic monetary unit, while the yen is Japan’s. The yen is divided into 100 sen in accounting terms, although sen coins are no longer used in ordinary circulation.