A national daily news publication in Japan, The Mainichi, reports that the Bank of Japan unveiled samples on April 14 of the new high-security bank notes that it plans to issue beginning in the first half of fiscal 2024.

The new notes went on display at the bank’s Currency Museum in Tokyo and will also be displayed at the Bank of Japan Otaru Museum in Hokkaido starting on April 28.

This is the first redesign for Japan’s bank notes since 2004.

The new 10,000-yen note has an image of industrialist Shibusawa Eiichi (1840 to 1931), the “father of capitalism in Japan” on the face, and the back depicts the Tokyo Station Marunouchi Building on the back.

The 5,000-yen note shows female education pioneer Tsuda Umeko (1864 to 1929) and Japanese wisteria flowers.

The 1,000-yen notes have Kitasato Shibasaburo (1853 to 1931), who helped lay the foundations of modern medicine in Japan, with a back design showing the artwork Under the Wave off Kanagawa from the Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji by Japanese ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849)

The new notes are described as incorporating the latest anti-counterfeiting technology, including three-dimensional holograms whose appearance changes depending on the viewing angle, microprinting, luminescent ink and high-definition watermarks. They also have tactile marks to make it easier to distinguish between each of the notes by touch.

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