Japan will issue 100,000 ¥10,000 gold coins and 10 million ¥500 nickel-brass coins later this year to mark the 20th anniversary of Emperor Akihito's enthronement, the Finance Ministry said Friday. Akihito is the current Emperor of Japan, and the 125th Emperor according to Japan's traditional order of succession. He acceded to the throne in 1989, and is the 20th most senior monarch or lifelong leader. He is the world's only reigning monarch whose title is customarily translated into English as "Emperor". In Japan, the emperor is never referred to by his given name, but rather is referred to as "His Imperial Majesty the Emperor" which may be shortened to "His Imperial Majesty". In writing, the emperor is also referred to formally as "The Reigning Emperor".
photo by: QuickQueryphoto
photo by: wikipedia
photo by: QuickQueryphoto
photo by: wikipedia
The front of a gold 10,000 yen coin marking the 20th anniversary of Emperor Akihito's enthronement is shown. The pure-gold coin will depict a phoenix and the Imperial Palace's Nijubashi double-arched bridge on the front and the chrysanthemum seal on the reverse. It will weigh 20 grams and measure 28 mm in diameter. The gold coin's production cost is expected to be more than ¥10,000, so it will be sold for more than the face value. The nickel-brass coin will have two chrysanthemums on the front and the chrysanthemum seal on the reverse. These coins can be bought for cash at banks from around November.
photo by: wikipediaThe Imperial Palace is located in the center of modern Tokyo, where Tokugawa Ieyasu built his castle at the end of the 16th century. The castle remained the political and military center until the end of the Tokugawa reign in 1867. After the capital moved from Kyoto to Tokyo, the new imperial palace was built at the same location as the Tokugawa castle. The palace had to be rebuilt after being completely destroyed during World War II. The castle is not open to the public, with the exception of the East garden. The general public is allowed to cross this bridge on two days of the year: New Year's and the Emperor's birthday on Dec. 23 to greet the Imperial family appearing on a balcony.
source: Kyodo News, wikipedia, virtualtourist.com
