2000 yen note

¥2,000
(Japan)
Value2,000 Yen
Width154 mm
Height76 mm
Security featuresColor-shifting ink, intaglio printing, latent imaging, luminescent ink, microprinting, pearl ink, tactile printing, watermark, EURion constellation
Obverse
DesignShureimon
Reverse
DesignThe Tale of Genji and Lady Murasaki

The ¥2,000 note (二千円紙幣, nisen-en shihei) is a denomination of Japanese yen, that was first issued on July 19, 2000, to commemorate the 26th G8 Summit and the millennium.[1] The banknote is notable for not being a commemorative banknote under Japanese law, and circulates as a regular issue.[1][2] It is also currently the only unit of Japanese currency that uses a denomination with a multiple of 2.

History

The ¥2,000 note was first issued on July 19, 2000 under the "D Series". It was not reissued when notes were rereleased in later series.

The design is similar to that of the other Japanese notes in circulation at the time of issue. The obverse has a serial number and depicts Shureimon, a 16th-century gate at Shuri Castle in Naha, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Cherry blossom and chrysanthemum motifs are part of the linear design work in the background. The reverse side depicts a scene from The Tale of Genji, and a portrait of Murasaki Shikibu, the noblewoman to whom this work of classic literature has been attributed. A copy of a portion of script from the original work is included.

Rarity

The rarity of ¥2,000 notes in circulation is linked to the few vending machines or ATMs that accept the denomination.[3] Overall public opinion has been negative, as the denomination is inconvenient to use, and is a nuisance to cashiers and business owners that use registers with no slot for the bills.[4] The Bank of Japan has also weighed in by giving factors such as the debut of "Series E" 2004 dated notes which entered into circulation. A spokesperson for the bank later stated in 2006 that "I think people prefer to hold on to the newer bank notes" when referring to "Series E" in comparison.[3] The Bank of Japan stopped producing ¥2,000 notes in 2004 when there were 513 million of them in circulation.[5] This figure dropped to 111 million by 2010 when it was recorded that ¥2,000 notes made up just around 0.9% of all notes in circulation.[5]

It was reported in 2019 that the Bank of Japan is not printing new ¥2,000 notes, as large amounts of them are currently held in the bank's reserve.[6] The note has some popularity in Okinawa due to the representation of Shureimon on the note's obverse;[better source needed] some ATMs allow users to specifically withdraw ¥2,000 notes in addition to other denominations.[6] The notes often trade above their face value on online sales.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "2000年(平成12年)4月26日大蔵省告示第117号「平成十二年七月十九日から発行する日本銀行券二千円の様式を定める件」] - 財務省". Ministry of Finance (Japan) (in Japanese). April 26, 2000. Archived from the original on December 9, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  2. ^ "The 2,000 yen banknote-The note originated in Okinawa". www.likejapan.com. September 2, 2019. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Kondo, Akiko (September 6, 2006). "Unwanted and unloved, 2,000 yen bills find few fans". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on November 26, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  4. ^ Nerozzi, Timothy (December 4, 2019). "Who Will Save the 2,000 Yen Bill? The future of Japan's most inconvenient note". Metropolis. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Joyce, Andrew (August 10, 2010). "Strange Case of Disappearing 2,000 Yen Bill". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Baseel, Carey; Neko, Ahiru. "Why was the 2,000-yen bill left out of Japan's yen redesign, and how does it feel about the snub?". SoraNews24. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  7. ^ "2000 yen". eBay (a search result). Retrieved April 23, 2022.