Japan to issue new Y500 coins in November after pandemic delay

Japan Times -- Apr 28

Japan will begin issuing newly redesigned Y500 coins from around November, the Finance Ministry said Tuesday, after their initial release in the first half of the fiscal year from April was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The new Y500 coins, minted in two colors to prevent counterfeiting, are the first redesign since 2000.

The ministry in January postponed issuance of the new coins due to delayed updates to ticket and automated teller machines amid the pandemic.

While the ministry plans to mint around 200 million of the new coins in fiscal 2021, the approximately 5 billion coins currently in circulation will still be usable.

Apr 28 (ANNnewsCH) - 新しい500円硬貨の発行が11月から始まる見通しです。  麻生財務大臣:「今後の見通しを確認した結果を踏まえて本年11月をめどにすることにしている」  新しい500円硬貨の図柄は現在とほぼ同じですが、初めて2色構造を導入するなど偽造防止の効果を高めています。