, Columnist
Japan’s New Yen Notes Have a Story to Tell
The world’s most traded currencies have nothing fresh to say about their nation. These banknotes are bucking that trend.
It's never too late to change.
Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Considering the yen’s value these days, visitors to Japan are probably spending their cash so quickly that they’re not stopping to examine it too carefully.
But its banknotes say a surprising amount about the country. And on Wednesday, for the first time in four decades, Japan will get an entirely new series of bills featuring a trio of 19th- and early-20th century intellectual and cultural titans.