The is an Independent Administrative Institution of the Japanese government, responsible for producing and circulating the

coins A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order t ...

of Japan. The agency has its head office in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

with branches in Saitama and Hiroshima. The Japan Mint does not produce

paper money A banknote—also called a bill (North American English), paper money, or simply a note—is a type of negotiable promissory note, made by a bank or other licensed authority, payable to the bearer on demand. Banknotes were originally issued ...

; that responsibility belongs to the

National Printing Bureau (NPB) is a Japanese governmental agency in charge of the production of Japanese paper money, Japanese yen. It also produces various other products, such as postage stamps and the official governmental gazette. History The Paper Money Office w ...

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 A banknote—also called a bill (North American English), paper money, or simply a note—is a type of negotiable promissory note, made by a bank or other licensed authority, payable to the bearer on demand. Banknotes were originally issued ...

was initially printed by Dondorf and Naumann in Germany. The European production was inspected and sealed by Banknote Annex Office of the

Ministry of Finance A ministry of finance is a part of the government in most countries that is responsible for matters related to the finance. Lists of current ministries of finance Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Finance (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Finance and Ec ...

. 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. 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

ore Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically containing metals, that can be mined, treated and sold at a profit.Encyclopædia Britannica. "Ore". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 7 Apr ...

s and

mineral In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid chemical compound with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. (2 ...

s, 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 The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional ''daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characterize ...

.National Archives of Japan, Digital Gallery website: "Photograph of Osaka Mint Opening Ceremony"

Saitama 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 Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

and

silver Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...

to be made into

coin A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order t ...

s which would then be returned to the bearer; however the sub-branch was abolished in 1907. * 1929: The branch is established at

Kōjimachi is a district in Chiyoda, Tokyo. History Prior to the arrival of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the area was known as . The area developed as townspeople settled along the Kōshū Kaidō. In 1878, the Kōjimachi area became , a ward of the city of Tokyo. ...

-ku,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

. The primary function of this office focused on certifying the fineness certification of precious metal wares. * 1939: The branch moved to Toshima-ku to enable the expansion of its operations. * 2016: The branch moved to the present address in Saitama.

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 Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

n countries. * 1945: The minting of coins in Hiroshima was initially begun in February; but production was stopped later in that year because of an atomic bombing. * 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 and Environmental Management System (

ISO ISO is the most common abbreviation for the International Organization for Standardization. ISO or Iso may also refer to: Business and finance * Iso (supermarket), a chain of Danish supermarkets incorporated into the SuperBest chain in 2007 * Iso ...

References

External links

Japan Mint English web site

see documents and images relating to Meiji era mint
Building a national currency (1868-1899)
{{Authority control Mints (currency) Mint Mint 1871 establishments in Japan Japanese companies established in 1871