Which currency is used as Japan’s official money?

The Japanese yen is the official currency of Japan.

The yen was established by the New Currency Act of 1871, part of the Meiji government’s effort to create a modern national monetary system. The word yen means “round,” referring to the shape of coins. The yen’s symbol is ¥, and its international currency code is JPY.

The Bank of Japan issues Japan’s banknotes, while the Ministry of Finance is responsible for minting coins. Common banknote denominations include 1,000, 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000 yen. The yen is divided into 100 sen in the historical monetary system, although sen coins are no longer used in ordinary circulation.

The Chinese yuan is a different currency, despite sometimes being confused with the yen because both names use related Chinese characters and are pronounced similarly in some languages. South Korea uses the won, and Thailand uses the baht.