The currency of Japan 日本
Japanese
YenJPY
The currency of Japan is the Japanese yen (JPY), written ¥ or 円, with banknotes issued by the Bank of Japan. It has no subunit in daily use, so prices are whole yen: one yen costs ₹0.6338 at our selling rate right now.
- Code
- JPY
- Symbol
- ¥円
- Smallest unit
- 1 yen
- In use since
- 1871
What is the currency of Japan?
The currency of Japan is the Japanese yen, code JPY, written ¥ or 円. It has no subunit in daily use: the old sen, a hundredth of a yen, stopped being legal tender in 1953, so prices are whole yen. The Bank of Japan issues the notes and the government's Japan Mint makes the coins. The New Currency Act created the yen on 27 June 1871, and since 1973 it has floated freely. On 5 Oct 2026, one yen was worth about ₹0.6338 at our selling rate.
Japanese Yen at a glance
- Currency
- Japanese yen円, pronounced en, meaning round
- Code
- JPYNumeric code 392
- Symbol
- ¥, or 円The sign goes before the number in English, the kanji after it in Japanese
- Subunit
- None in daily useThe sen, a hundredth of a yen, ended in 1953
- Issuer
- Bank of JapanNotes only; the government issues the coins and the Japan Mint makes them
- Introduced
- 27 June 1871The New Currency Act, decimal from the start
- Exchange rate
- FloatingFixed at 360 per US dollar in 1949; floating since 1973
- Used in
- JapanThe official currency of Japan; the capital is Tokyo
- Banknotes
- 1,000, 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000 yenNew 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 yen notes since 3 July 2024
- Coins
- 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 and 500 yenThe 5 and 50 yen coins have a hole; the 500 yen is bicolour
Japan currency notes and coins
Japan's money comes as four banknotes and six coins. The 10,000, 5,000 and 1,000 yen notes are the series issued on 3 July 2024, the first new set since 2004, and the 2,000 yen note, from 2000, is rare. Each note is shown with what it costs in rupees at our selling rate today.
- Bank of JapanOne thousand yen¥1000
One thousand yen ¥1,000
≈ ₹633.81 today- Colour
- Blue
- Front
- Kitasato Shibasaburo, a bacteriologist
- Back
- Hokusai's Great Wave off Kanagawa, with Mount Fuji in the background
- Bank of JapanTwo thousand yen¥2000
Two thousand yen ¥2,000
≈ ₹1,267.63 today- Colour
- Mostly green
- Front
- The Shureimon gate of Shuri Castle in Okinawa
- Back
- A scene from The Tale of Genji and a portrait of its author, Murasaki Shikibu
- Bank of JapanFive thousand yen¥5000
Five thousand yen ¥5,000
≈ ₹3,169.07 today- Colour
- Purple
- Front
- Tsuda Umeko, a pioneer of women's education
- Back
- Japanese wisteria flowers
- Bank of JapanTen thousand yen¥10000
Ten thousand yen ¥10,000
≈ ₹6,338.14 today- Colour
- Brown
- Front
- Shibusawa Eiichi, a businessman
- Back
- The Marunouchi building of Tokyo Station, built in 1914
Coins, in yen
Six coins are in use, from 1 to 500 yen. The 5 and 50 yen coins have a hole in the middle, and the 500 yen coin, the largest, has been bicolour since 1 November 2021.
- 11 yen
≈ ₹0.63 - 55 yen
≈ ₹3.17 - 1010 yen
≈ ₹6.34 - 5050 yen
≈ ₹31.69 - 100100 yen
≈ ₹63.38 - 500500 yen
≈ ₹316.91
Sources: Bank of Japan, banknotes in circulation; Ministry of Finance, banknote and coin pages; nippon.com; colours as printed. Rupee values at our selling rate, 10:25 AM IST, 5 Oct 2026.
A portrait that turns, and old notes that stay valid
On 3 July 2024 Japan began issuing new 10,000, 5,000 and 1,000 yen notes with a portrait that turns as you tilt the note. The older notes did not stop working: apart from three special legal measures, every note the Bank of Japan has issued is still legal tender.
The last set before the new one
The Bank of Japan issues the 10,000, 5,000 and 1,000 yen notes showing Fukuzawa Yukichi, Higuchi Ichiyo and Noguchi Hideyo. They are still legal tender today.
The Finance Ministry says they stay valid
The Ministry of Finance says the 10,000, 5,000 and 1,000 yen notes already in circulation will stay valid once the new ones arrive, and warns against fraud that claims otherwise.
A portrait that turns
The new notes go into issue from 8 a.m. Tilt one and its 3D hologram portrait rotates, a technique the Bank of Japan says is being used on banknotes for the first time.
The only three times notes were voided
The Bank of Japan says a note stays valid once issued unless a special law ends it, and that has happened three times: in 1927, when notes were replaced after the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake; in 1946, with the "new yen" against post-war inflation; and in 1953, when currency below one yen was withdrawn.
Sources: Bank of Japan, banknote security and legal tender pages; Ministry of Finance, announcements of 9 April 2019 and 12 December 2023; nippon.com; News On AIR, "Japan issues new banknotes"; Wikipedia, "Japanese yen".
A small unit with a big role
One yen is worth a fraction of a rupee, yet the yen is the world's third most-traded currency. Three facts show its weight.
On one side of 17 percent of trades
The Bank for International Settlements found the yen on one side of 16.8 percent of currency trades in April 2025, behind only the US dollar (89.2 percent) and the euro (28.9 percent). Every trade has two sides, so the shares add up to 200 percent.
Held in central bank reserves
Central banks held 5.44 percent of their allocated foreign-exchange reserves in yen in the first quarter of 2026, according to the IMF, against 57.13 percent in US dollars and 20.03 percent in euros.
Fixed at 360, then floating
From April 1949 the yen was fixed at 360 to the US dollar. The Smithsonian Agreement reset it to 308 in December 1971, and the yen has floated since 1973, so its price in rupees moves with the market.
One unit in rupees · our selling rate, 5 Oct 2026
The yen since 1871
The yen has been decimal since the day it was created, and its smallest unit disappeared in 1953. Its history in eight entries.
- EntryJapan
The New Currency Act
On 27 June, three years after the Meiji Restoration, the New Currency Act creates the yen: round, Western-style coins, decimal from the start, with 100 sen to the yen. It replaces Tokugawa coinage and the domain paper notes.
Launch - EntryJapan
The Bank of Japan opens
The Bank of Japan opens for business on 10 October, after the Act that set it up is promulgated in June. It is the sole issuer of Japan's banknotes.
- EntryJapan
360 yen to the dollar
In April the yen is fixed at 360 to the US dollar under the Dodge Line, a rate that holds for about 22 years.
- EntryJapan
The sen ends
On 31 December the sen and the rin, a hundredth and a thousandth of a yen, stop being legal tender, and the yen becomes the smallest unit.
Subunit ends - EntryJapan
India gets the first yen loan
Japan's first yen loan goes to India, according to JICA. Yen loans still support projects there, including the Mumbai to Ahmedabad high-speed rail line.
India link - EntryJapan
A reset to 308
After the US ends dollar convertibility to gold in August, the Smithsonian Agreement of December resets the yen from 360 to 308 to the dollar. The yen floats from 1973.
- EntryJapan
The 2,000 yen note
On 19 July the Bank of Japan issues a 2,000 yen note for the G8 summit in Okinawa and the millennium. It is still legal tender, but rare.
- EntryJapan
New notes, turning portraits
On 3 July the first new set since 2004 goes into issue: 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 yen, each with a 3D hologram portrait that turns as the note is tilted.
New notes
Sources: Bank of Japan, history and legal tender pages; Ministry of Finance, banknote and coin pages; nippon.com features on the yen; Toyota Motor Corporation company history and Wikipedia, "Dodge Line" (the 360 rate); Etymonline; JICA and ThePrint; Bank for International Settlements, April 2025 survey; IMF COFER data brief, July 2026; Wikipedia, "Japanese yen".
Yen and rupees side by side
Worked out at our selling rate at 10:25 AM IST on 5 Oct 2026. For the live rate on any amount, use the JPY to INR or INR to JPY converter.
| You pay | You get |
|---|---|
| ₹5,000 | ¥ 7,889 |
| ₹10,000 | ¥ 15,777 |
| ₹25,000 | ¥ 39,444 |
| ₹50,000 | ¥ 78,887 |
| ₹1,00,000 | ¥ 157,775 |
| ₹2,00,000 | ¥ 315,550 |
| You buy | It costs |
|---|---|
| ¥ 1,000 | ₹633.81 |
| ¥ 5,000 | ₹3,169.07 |
| ¥ 10,000 | ₹6,338.14 |
| ¥ 20,000 | ₹12,676.28 |
| ¥ 50,000 | ₹31,690.70 |
| ¥ 100,000 | ₹63,381.40 |
Spending yen in Japan
Three things about Japanese money that help on the first day. Japan is still partly cash-based: the government put the cashless share of 2025 payments at 58 percent, against a goal of 65 percent by 2030, so carry some yen as well as a card.
Prices are whole yen, tax included
A yen has no decimals, so a tag reads ¥1,200, never ¥12.50. Since April 2021 shops must show the price with consumption tax already in it. The tax is 10 percent, or 8 percent on take-home food and non-alcoholic drinks.
¥1,200 = ₹760.58Twenty coins is the limit
By law, coins are legal tender only up to 20 pieces of one kind in a single payment, so a shop need not take a heap of 1 yen coins. Notes have no limit, and one 500 yen coin is worth about ₹316.91.
20 coins of one kind per paymentTax-free shopping changes on 1 November 2026
Until 31 October 2026 eligible visitors buy tax-free at the till. From 1 November you pay the tax-inclusive price and are refunded at departure, once customs checks the goods at a tax-free terminal before baggage check-in. Bring your passport, spend at least ¥5,000 before tax in one shop in one day, and claim within 90 days of buying.
Refund at departure, from 1 Nov 2026Taking Japanese yen from India
The Reserve Bank of India's rules apply to every currency, and the yen is no exception.
Up to the equivalent of USD 3,000 per trip can leave India as Japanese yen notes. The rest goes on a forex card or as a bank transfer.
Every resident can send up to USD 250,000 abroad each financial year under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme, travel included.
Tax collected at source applies once your foreign-exchange purchases in a financial year cross ₹10 lakh: nil when an education loan pays, 2% for self-funded education and medical treatment, and 20% for travel and everything else. It is credited against your income tax when you file.
The Japanese yen is on our booking form. Send your amount and the desk confirms your exact rate before anything is booked.
Book Japanese Yen→Japanese yen questions
The questions people type about the yen, answered in full, in three groups.
The basics
8 questionsWhat is the currency of Japan?
The currency of Japan is the Japanese yen, code JPY, written ¥ or 円. The Bank of Japan issues the banknotes and the government's Japan Mint makes the coins, and the same yen is used in the capital, Tokyo, and across the country.
Yen is the currency of which country?
Japan. The yen is the official currency of Japan, so if you typed "yen currency of which country", the answer is Japan, and its full name is the Japanese yen (JPY). China's money is a different currency, the yuan (CNY).
What is the full form of JPY?
JPY stands for Japanese Yen. JP is Japan's two-letter country code and Y is for yen, following the ISO 4217 standard, so the JPY full form is always Japanese Yen and JPY currency always means Japan's money. Its numeric code is 392.
What is the Japanese yen symbol?
The Japanese yen symbol is ¥, written 円 in Japanese. The Japan currency symbol goes before the number in English, as in ¥5,000, and the kanji 円, pronounced en, goes after it in Japanese, as in 5,000円. The Chinese yuan uses the same ¥ sign, so JPY is the clear way to say yen.
What is the Japan currency name?
The Japan currency name is the yen, in full the Japanese yen. In Japanese it is written 円 and pronounced en, and the plural is also yen, never yens: one yen, five hundred yen. People also say Japanese currency, Japan yen or Japanese money, and all of them mean this one currency.
Why is it called the yen?
It means round. Yen is the Japanese word 円, pronounced en, for round or circle, and the New Currency Act of 1871 launched round, Western-style coins. English first records the currency word in 1875, and the y in the spelling comes from an old habit of romanising the Japanese e as ye.
How many sen make one yen?
One yen is 100 sen, but the sen is no longer money. It and the rin, a thousandth of a yen, stopped being legal tender on 31 December 1953, so the yen is now the smallest unit, prices are whole yen and the smallest coin is the 1 yen coin.
Who issues the yen?
The Bank of Japan issues the banknotes; the Japanese government issues the coins. The Bank, which opened on 10 October 1882, is the sole issuer of banknotes and the National Printing Bureau prints them, while the Japan Mint makes the coins.
Value and history
6 questionsIs the yen pegged to the US dollar?
Not any more. The yen was fixed at 360 to the US dollar from April 1949, the Smithsonian Agreement reset it to 308 in December 1971, and it has floated since 1973, so its price in rupees now moves with the market.
Is the yen one of the world's most traded currencies?
Yes, it is the third most-traded, after the US dollar and the euro. The Bank for International Settlements found the yen on one side of 16.8 percent of currency trades in April 2025, and central banks held 5.44 percent of their allocated reserves in yen in early 2026, according to the IMF.
Which Japanese banknotes are in use?
Four: 1,000, 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000 yen. The 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 yen notes are the new series issued on 3 July 2024, the first new set since 2004, while the 2,000 yen note, issued on 19 July 2000, is rare and more often seen in Okinawa.
Are old Japanese yen notes still valid?
Yes. The Bank of Japan says a note stays legal tender once issued unless a special law voids it, which has happened only in 1927, 1946 and 1953, so the 2004 series and the 2,000 yen note remain valid beside the 2024 notes. The Ministry of Finance warns against fraud claiming otherwise, and the Bank of Japan will exchange valid notes that are no longer issued for current ones at its head office and branches.
Why do some yen coins have a hole?
The 5 yen and 50 yen coins have a hole in the middle. The hole was added to the 50 yen coin in 1959 to tell it apart from the similar-sized 100 yen coin, and 5 yen is pronounced go-en, like the word for a fortunate connection, which makes the 5 yen coin a popular shrine offering.
What is the India link to the Japanese yen?
India received Japan's first yen loan, in 1958, according to JICA. Yen loans from JICA, Japan's development agency, also finance the Mumbai to Ahmedabad high-speed rail line, which uses Shinkansen technology.
Buying from India
2 questionsHow much Japanese currency can I take out of India?
Up to the equivalent of USD 3,000 per trip in currency notes. Anything above that goes on a forex card or as a bank transfer, all within the USD 250,000 a year Liberalised Remittance Scheme limit.
How do I get Japanese yen for a trip to Japan?
Order them before you fly. Matrix Forex, an RBI-authorised Category-II dealer, has Japanese yen on its booking form: send your amount through the booking bar at the top of this page and the desk confirms your exact rate before anything is booked. For the live rate on any amount, see the JPY to INR converter.