AUTHOR: JORGE HERRÁEZ AGÜERA

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 Index
Introduction --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3

2008 coins ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6

2009 coins ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7

2010 coins ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9

2011 coins ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12

2012 coins ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15

2013 coins ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18

2014 coins ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22

2015 coins ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25

2016 coins ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 28

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 Introduction
To mark the 60th Anniversary of Enforcement of the Local Autonomy Law, we
launched "Japan 47 Prefectures Coin Program" in 2008. In this program, we will have
issued bi-color clad coins of 47 prefectures in Japan until 2016. Obverse is each
prefecture's own design and reverse design is all the same. Through this program, we
hope you have interest not only in our coins but also in Japanese own history, nature,
culture, and others.

Common reverse design: Shape of Japanese old coin – Kanji letters meaning “local
autonomy”. Latent image technology is applied to the center of the shape of Japanese
old coin to make letters of “47″ representing the number of prefectures in Japan, and
“60″ representing the 60th Anniversary of Enforcement of the Local Autonomy Law
appear alternately when viewed from different angles.

Composition: Copper 75 %, Zinc 12.5 %, Nickel 12.5%.

Face Value: 500 Yen.
Weight: 7.1 grams.
Diameter: 26.5 mm.
Edge: Helical Ridges with two different pitches.
Finish: Circulated or Brilliant.
Mintage: Variable (around 1.8 million /each prefecture).

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 Issue List
Year Prefectures
2008 Hokkaido, Kyoto and Shimane.
2009 Nagano, Niigata, Ibaraki and Nara.
2010 Kochi, Gifu, Fukui, Aichi, Aomori and Saga.
2011 Toyama, Tottori, Kumamoto, Shiga, Iwate and Akita.
2012 Okinawa, Kanagawa, Miyazaki, Tochigi, Oita and Hyogo.
2013 Miyagi, Hiroshima, Gunma, Okayama, Shizuoka, Yamanashi and Kagoshima.
2014 Ehime, Yamagata, Mie, Kagawa, Saitama, Ishikawa.
2015 Yamaguchi, Tokushima, Fukuoka, Wakayama, Osaka, Nagasaki and Chiba.
2016 Fukushima and Tokyo.

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5
 Coins descriptions

Hokkaido (2008)

Capital City: Sapporo

Population in 2007 (thousands): 5,570
Area (square km): 83,456

Obverse design: Lake Toya and The former Hokkaido Government office building

Kyoto (2008)

Capital City: Kyoto

Population in 2007 (thousands): 2,635
Area (square km): 4,613

Obverse design: Scene 2 of Yadorigi, Chapter 49 of "The Picture Scroll of the Tale of
Genji (National Treasure of Japan)"

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 Shimane (2008)

Capital City: Matsue

Population in 2007 (thousands): 731
Area (square km): 6,708

Obverse design: Bell-shaped bronze vessel discovered from the Kamoiwakura Remains
in Unnan City and patterns and pictograms on it

Nagano (2009)

Capital City: Nagano

Population in 2007 (thousands): 2,180
Area (square km): 13,562

Obverse design: Zenkoji Temple and Ox (Manifestation of Kannon, Bodhisattva of

Mercy)

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 Niigata (2009)

Capital City: Niigata

Population in 2007 (thousands): 2,450
Area (square km): 12,583

Obverse design: A Pair of Japanese Crested Ibises and Rice Terrace

Ibaraki (2009)

Capital City: Mito

Population in 2007 (thousands): 2,969
Area (square km): 6,096

Obverse design: Kairakuen Garden and Plum Tree or Japanese Apricot Tree

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 Nara (2009)

Capital City: Nara

Population in 2007 (thousands): 1,410
Area (square km): 3,691

Obverse design: Kentoshi-sen (Ship for Imperial Japanese Envoy to China in the Tang
Dynasty)

Kochi (2010)

Capital City: Kochi

Population in 2007 (thousands): 782
Area (square km): 7,150

Obverse design: Sakamoto Ryoma

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 Gifu (2010)

Capital City: Gifu

Population in 2007 (thousands): 2,104
Area (square km): 10,621

Obverse design: Shirakawa-go and Chinese milk vetch

Fukui (2010)

Capital City: Fukui

Population in 2007 (thousands): 816
Area (square km): 4,189

Obverse design: Dinosaurs

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 Aichi (2010)

Capital City: Nagoya

Population in 2007 (thousands): 7,360
Area (square km): 5,165

Obverse design: Main Building Aichi Prefectural Government and Rabbit-ear Iris

Aomori (2010)

Capital City: Aomori

Population in 2007 (thousands): 1,407
Area (square km): 9,607

Obverse design: Sannai-Maruyama Site and Clay Figurine

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 Saga (2010)

Capital City: Saga

Population in 2007 (thousands): 859
Area (square km): 2,440

Obverse design: Okuma Shigenobu, Saga Nishiki and Kashima Nishiki

Toyama (2011)

Capital City: Toyama

Population in 2007 (thousands): 1,106
Area (square km): 4,248

Obverse design: Owara Kaze-no-bon Festival

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 Tottori (2011)

Capital City: Tottori

Population in 2007 (thousands): 600
Area (square km): 3,507

Obverse design: Mitokusan Sanbutsuji Temple Nageiredo Hall

Kumamoto (2011)

Capital City: Kumamoto

Population in 2007 (thousands): 1,828
Area (square km): 7,406

Obverse design: Kumamoto Castle

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 Shiga (2011)

Capital City: Otsu

Population in 2010 (thousands): 1,404
Area (square km): 4,017

Obverse design: Biwa Catfish and Round Crucian Carp

Iwate (2011)

Capital City: Morioka

Population in 2010 (thousands): 1,331
Area (square km): 15,279

Obverse design: Chûson-ji Konjikidô Shin "Ôidô" (Sheath Structure) and "Gokusui no
En" (Water Poetry Party) at Môtsû-ji

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 Akita (2011)

Capital City: Akita

Population in 2010 (thousands): 1,086
Area (square km): 11,636

Obverse design: Nobu Shirase and Kanto Festival

Okinawa (2012)

Capital City: Naha

Population in 2011 (thousands): 1,318
Area (square km): 2,271

Obverse design: Naha-Giant-Tug-Of-War and Eisa Folk Dance

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 Kanagawa (2012)

Capital City: Yokohama

Population in 2010 (thousands): 9,061
Area (square km): 2,416

Obverse design: Daibutsu (Great Buddha) of Kamakura

Miyazaki (2012)

Capital City: Miyazaki

Population in 2010 (thousands): 1,135
Area (square km): 7,736

Obverse design: Main Building, Miyazaki Prefectural Government

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 Tochigi (2012)

Capital City: Utsunomiya

Population in 2011 (thousands): 1,989
Area (square km): 6,408

Obverse design: Sleeping Cat and Sparrows

Oita (2012)

Capital City: Oita

Population in 2011 (thousands): 1,186
Area (square km): 6,339

Obverse design: Usuki Stone Buddha

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 Hyogo (2012)

Capital City: Kobe

Population in 2011 (thousands): 5,574
Area (square km): 8,396

Obverse design: Oriental white storks

Miyagi (2013)

Capital City: Sendai

Population in 2010 (thousands): 2,348
Area (square km): 6,862

Obverse design: Sendai Tanabata Festival

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 Hiroshima (2013)

Capital City: Hiroshima

Population in 2010 (thousands): 2,861
Area (square km): 8,480

Obverse design: Atomic Bomb Dome and Memorial Monument for Hiroshima, City of
Peace

Gunma (2013)

Capital City: Maebashi

Population in 2010 (thousands): 2,008
Area (square km): 6,362

Obverse design: Keystone of the East Cocoon Warehouse

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 Okayama (2013)

Capital City: Okayama

Population in 2010 (thousands): 1,945
Area (square km): 7,113

Obverse design: Okayama Kōrakuen Garden

Shizuoka (2013)

Capital City: Shizuoka

Population in 2010 (thousands): 3,765
Area (square km): 7,780

Obverse design: Mt. Fuji and Tea Plantaions

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 Yamanashi (2013)

Capital City: Kofu

Population in 2010 (thousands): 863
Area (square km): 4,465

Obverse design: Mt. Fuji and Grapes

Kagoshima (2013)

Capital City: Kagoshima

Population in 2010 (thousands): 1,706
Area (square km): 9,189

Obverse design: Sakurajima

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 Ehime (2014)

Capital City: Matsuyama

Population in 2012 (thousands): 1,415
Area (square km): 5,679

Obverse design: Setouchi Shimanami Kaidō Expressway and the islands of Ehime

Yamagata (2014)

Capital City: Yamagata

Population in 2012 (thousands): 1,151
Area (square km): 9,323

Obverse design: Jōmon-no-Megami (prehistoric goddess figure)

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 Mie (2014)

Capital City: Tsu

Population in 2012 (thousands): 1,839
Area (square km): 5,777

Obverse design: Kumano Kodō Iseji (the ancient pilgrimage route from Ise to Kumano)

Kagawa (2014)

Capital City: Takamatsu

Population in 2012 (thousands): 989
Area (square km): 1,877

Obverse design: The Sanuki Plain viewed from Kotohira-gu Shrine

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 Saitama (2014)

Capital City: Saitama

Population in 2012 (thousands): 7,208
Area (square km): 3,798

Obverse design: Saitama Stadium 2002

Ishikawa (2014)

Capital City: Kanazawa

Population in 2012 (thousands): 1,163
Area (square km): 4,186

Obverse design: Mt. Haku seen from Kibagata Park and the Kiriko Festival

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 Yamaguchi (2015)

Capital City: Yamaguchi

Population in 2014 (thousands): 1,408
Area (square km): 6,112

Obverse design: Five-story Pagoda of Ruriko-ji Temple

Tokushima (2015)

Capital City: Tokushima

Population in 2014 (thousands): 763
Area (square km): 4,146

Obverse design: Awa Odori Dance

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 Fukuoka (2015)

Capital City: Fukuoka

Population in 2014 (thousands): 5,092
Area (square km): 4,986

Obverse design: Kyushu National Museum, Taikobashi Bridge at Dazaifu Tenmangu

Shrine and Plum Blossom

Wakayama (2015)

Capital City: Wakayama

Population in 2014 (thousands): 970
Area (square km): 4,724

Obverse design: Nachi Falls

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 Osaka (2015)

Capital City: Osaka

Population in 2014 (thousands): 8,850
Area (square km): 1,904

Obverse design: Burial Mound of Emperor Nintoku

Nagasaki (2015)

Capital City: Nagasaki

Population in 2014 (thousands): 1,385
Area (square km): 4,132

Obverse design: Oura Cathedral and Stained Glass

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 Chiba (2015)

Capital City: Chiba

Population in 2014 (thousands): 6,197
Area (square km): 5,157

Obverse design: Kujukuri Beach

Fukushima (2016)

Capital City: Sendai

Population in 2014 (thousands): 1,936
Area (square km): 13,783

Obverse design: Soma Nomaoi Festival

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 Tokyo (2016)

Capital City: Tokyo

Population in 2014 (thousands): 13,378
Area (square km): 2,190

Obverse design: Tokyo Station Marunouchi Building and Gyoko Street

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