Japan Mint

Japan Mint Head Office, Osaka

The Japan Mint (独立行政法人造幣局, Dokuritsu Gyōsei Hōjin Zōheikyoku) is an Independent Administrative Institution of the Japanese government, responsible for producing and circulating the coins of Japan. The agency has its head office in Osaka with branches in Tokyo and Hiroshima.

History

Amongst the first acts of the Meiji government was the establishment of the Imperial Japanese Mint as a constructive step towards modernising Japan's circulating currency. In the early Meiji era, paper currency was initially printed by Dondorf and Naumann in Germany.^[1] The European production was inspected and sealed by Banknote Annex Office of the Ministry of Finance. A proposal to construct a banknote manufacturing plant was submitted to Grand Council of State in May 1874; and construction was approved in December of that same year. A two-story Western red brick building was completed in October 1876.^[2]

Over the course of decades, the Mint activities have expanded to include the production of Japanese orders (decorations), medals of honor and metallic art objects, the analysis and testing of metal ores and minerals, and the fineness certification of precious metal wares (hallmarking).

The Mint became an Incorporated Administrative Agency on April 1, 2003.

Osaka Head Office

1871: After an inaugural ceremony was held in Kawasaki, Osaka, the actual work of minting coins began. The mint's work was urgently necessary to rectify confusion over coins which was a recurrent feature of the Tokugawa period.^[3]

Tokyo Branch

1879: This branch of the Mint was set up in the Ministry of Finance building. The primary function of this office was to accept gold and silver to be made into coins which would then be returned to the bearer; however the sub-branch was abolished in 1907.
1929: The branch is established at Kōjimachi-ku. The primary function of this office focused on certifying the fineness certification of precious metal wares.
1939: The branch moved to the present address in Toshima-ku to enable the expansion of its operations.

Hiroshima Branch

1942: The construction of a minting plant in Hiroshima Prefecture was decided with the aim of minting coins in Japan for various Southeast Asian countries.
1945: The minting of coins was initially begun in February; but production was stopped later in that year.
1946: Operations resumed at the present address.
1948: The branch becomes capable of managing the entire coinage process.

Standards

Japan Mint has sought to bring its operations within an ambit proposed by the International Standard for Quality Management System (ISO).

References

↑ Boling, Joseph E. "Building a National Currency -- Japan, 1868-1899," 1996.
↑ National Archives of Japan, Digital Gallery website: "[Drawings] Japan Mint"
↑ National Archives of Japan, Digital Gallery website: "Photograph of Osaka Mint Opening Ceremony"

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Japan Mint.

Japan Mint English web site
National Archives of Japan, Digital Gallery, see documents and images relating to Meiji era mint
Building a national currency (1868-1899)

Coordinates: 34°41′48.6″N 135°31′16.3″E / 34.696833°N 135.521194°E / 34.696833; 135.521194

Japanese currency

Topics

Coinage

Rin	1r 5r
Sen	¹⁄₂s 1s 2s 5s 10s 20s 50s
Yen	¥1 ¥5 ¥10 ¥50 ¥100 ¥500
Pre-1870	Ōban Koban Ichibuban Mon Ryukyuan Ryō Tenpō Tsūhō Wadōkaichin
Others	¥20 (Obsolete) ¥1000 (Commemorative) ¥5000 (Commemorative) ¥10,000 (Commemorative) ¥50,000 (Commemorative)

Banknotes

Sen	5s 10s 50s
Yen	¥1 ¥5 ¥10 ¥50 ¥100 ¥500 ¥1000 ¥2000 ¥5000 ¥10,000
Military	A yen B yen

Incorporated Administrative Agencies in Japan
There are 102 institutions as of April 1, 2012. Bold institutions employ national public servants.
Cabinet Office	National Archives of Japan ja:Northern Territories Issue Association ja:National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications	National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) ja:National Statistics Center ja:Public Foundation for Peace and Consolation ja:Management Organization for Postal Savings and Postal Life Insurance
Ministry of Foreign Affairs	Japan International Cooperation Agency Japan Foundation
Ministry of Finance	ja:National Research Institute of Brewing Japan Mint National Printing Bureau Commemorative Organization for the Japan World Exposition '70
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology	ja:National Institute of Special Education National Center for University Entrance Examinations ja:National Institution For Youth Education ja:National Women's Education Center National Museum of Nature and Science National Institute for Materials Science ja:National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention ja:National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology National Museum ja:National Institute of Radiological Sciences ja:National Center for Teachers' Development ja:Japan Science and Technology Agency Japan Society for the Promotion of Science RIKEN Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency ja:National Agency for the Advancement of Sports and Health Japan Arts Council ja:Japan Student Services Organization Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology ja:Institute of National Colleges of Technology National Institution for Academic Degrees and University Evaluation Japan Atomic Energy Agency
Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare	ja:National Institute of Health and Nutrition ja:National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health ja:Organization for Workers Retirement Allowance Mutual Aid ja:Japan Organization for Employment of the Elderly, Persons with Disabilities and Job Seekers ja:Welfare And Medical Service Agency ja:National Center for Presons with Severe Intellectual Disabilities, Nozominosono Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training ja:Japan Labour Health and Welfare Organization ja:National Hospital Organization ja:Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Agency ja:National Institute of Biomedical Innovation ja:Readjustment of Facilities for Insured Persons and Beneficiaries Organization ja:Government Pension Investment Fund ja:National Cancer Center ja:National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center Hospital ja:National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry ja:National Center for Global Health and Medicine ja:National Center for Child Health and Development ja:National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontrogy
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries	ja:Food and Agricultural Materials Inspection Center ja:National Center for Seeds and Seedlings ja:National Livestock Breeding Center ja:National Fisheries University ja:National Agriculture and Food Research Organization ja:National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences ja:National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences ja:Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences ja:Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute ja:Fisheries Research Agency ja:Agriculture & Livestock Industries Corporation ja:Farmer's Pension Fund ja:Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Credit Foundations
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry	ja:Information-Technology Promotion Agency ja:Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry ja:National Center for Industrial Property Information and Training Nippon Export and Investment Insurance National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology National Institute of Technology and Evaluation New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization Japan External Trade Organization ja:Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization ja:Information-technology Promotion Agency Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation ja:Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism	ja:Public Works Research Institute ja:Building Research Institute ja:National Traffic Safety and Environment Laboratory ja:National Maritime Research Institute ja:Port and Airport Research Institute ja:Electronic Navigation Research Institute ja:National Institute for Sea Training ja:Marine Technical Education Agency ja:Civil Aviation College ja:National Agency of Vehicle Inspection: Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency Japan National Tourism Organization ja:Japan Water Agency ja:National Agency for Automotive Safety & Victims' Aid ja:Organization for Environment Improvement around International Airports ja:Maritime Disaster Prevention Center ja:Urban Renaissance Agency ja:Fund for the Promotion and Development of the Amami Islands ja:Japan Expressway Holding and Debt Repayment Agency ja:Japan Housing Finance Agency
Ministry of the Environment	ja:National Institute for Environmental Studies ja:Environmental Restoration and Conservation Agency
Ministry of Defense	ja:Labor Management Organization for USFJ Employees
Related topics	ja:Act on General Rules for Independent Administrative Agency List of Independent Administrative Institutes in Japan ja:Japanese administrative reforms ja:Government Revitalization Unit ja:Japanese government program review ja:Japanese extra-governmental organizations

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Taxation & Labor market	Taxation in Japan National Tax Agency Labor market Labor unions in Japan
Energy	Energy in Japan Solar power in Japan List of power stations in Japan List of Japan natural gas companies
Rankings	International rankings of Japan
Industry	Construction industry of Japan Automotive industry in Japan Japanese employment law Japanese domestic market Transportation in Japan Manufacturing industries of Japan Agriculture, forestry, and fishing in Japan Fishing industry in Japan Whaling in Japan Mining in Japan Consumer electronics in Japan Private enterprise in Japan Japanese public corporations Defense industry of Japan
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