THE prime minister praised the designs of the new banknotes that boast of 3d hologram technology and the latest anti-counterfeit features.
The state-of-the-art technology covers 10,000 yen, 5,000 yen, and 1,000 yen bills.
The new banknotes were revealed during a ceremony at the Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo.
A total of 280 million new bills, worth 1.6 trillion yen, were circulated on Wednesday, with some consumers able to obtain them at banks and automated teller machines on the same day.
Other currencies that have not changed will remain valid.
The older version of banknotes is still required to pay for vending machines and bus fares.
Meanwhile, residents experienced the agony of rising food prices due to the depreciation of the Japanese yen, as the currency continued to drop further to a 38-year low against the U.S. dollar.
Cashless payment methods are fastly becoming the new norm in Japan but new banknotes still bring excitement among residents.
