World Coin BookWorld coin encyclopedia

Official status checked 2026-07-31

Japan Bullion and Precious-Metal Coins

Evidence-led guide to Japan's precious-metal legal-tender commemoratives and official medals, with a clear finding that no recurring national bullion program is verified.

日本の貴金属記念貨幣と造幣局メダル

Obverse of the 2022 Okinawa Reversion 50th Anniversary 10,000-yen gold coin Reverse of the 2022 Okinawa Reversion 50th Anniversary 10,000-yen gold coin
Exact legal-tender commemorative issue; not a recurring bullion-series coin. Ministry of Finance Japan, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; approved conservative catalog cleanup.
Recurring bullion series
Not verified
Gold coins
25
Silver coins
114
Official medals
9

Classification finding

No recurring official Japanese bullion program is verified

Official Japanese lists separate circulating coins, legal-tender commemoratives, and mint products. Some collector coins use gold, silver, or ounce weights, but their official identity, limited sale, proof finish, and program structure remain commemorative rather than recurring bullion. This is an evidence-based classification inference, not a claim that such coins lack precious-metal value.

COIN — LEGAL TENDER

Precious-metal commemorative

A government-authorized denomination and issue identity. Premium sale and proof finish do not turn it into a recurring bullion series.

MEDAL — NOT LEGAL TENDER

Official mint medal

A Japan Mint object without denomination. Metal, hallmark, packaging, and sales method remain separate evidence fields.

PRODUCT

Commercial offer

A coin or medal may be sold in a product with a price, capsule, case, and certificate; the product is not itself legal tender.

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Evidence-backed categories

The legal-tender-bullion and platinum routes are intentionally absent because official evidence does not support them.

Evidence and value boundary

This catalog does not turn commemoratives into bullion, medals into legal tender, generic purity words into decimals, or historical issue prices into current valuations. Unknown values remain unavailable.

Evidence

Sources and scope

These links support the claims on this page. Source authority does not imply permission to republish source images.

Are commemorative coins legal tender? Bank of Japan

Legal-tender status and practical payment boundary for commemorative coins.

Open source
Banknotes and coins currently issued Bank of Japan

Current circulating denominations and official link to the commemorative list.

Open source
Outline of coin issuance in Japan Bank of Japan

Government and Japan Mint roles in coin issuance.

Open source
List of Japanese commemorative coins Ministry of Finance Japan

Official program, denomination, material, dimensions, weight, and issue identity.

Open source
Commemorative coin list as of 6 July 2026 Ministry of Finance Japan

Current official Japanese register and issue status cross-check.

Open source
150th Anniversary of the Modern Currency System 5,000-yen gold proof coin Japan Mint

Explicit 99.9% gold purity, 7.8 g weight, proof finish, and commemorative classification.

Open source
150th Anniversary of Railways in Japan 1,000-yen silver proof coin Japan Mint

Explicit 99.9% silver purity, 31.1 g weight, proof finish, and commemorative classification.

Open source
Railways 150th anniversary silver-coin application notice Ministry of Finance Japan

Original issue price of 12,300 yen for the 2022 silver proof coin.

Open source
150th Anniversary of the Modern Currency System silver medal Japan Mint

Official medal identity, 99.9% silver, approximate 160 g weight, 60 mm diameter, oxidized finish, planned quantity of 3,000, overseas allocation maximum of 60, and hallmark.

Open source
150th Anniversary of the Japan Mint commemorative gold medal Japan Mint

Official metallic-art-object identity, product code C202139003, overseas-only sale, and original price of 174,000 yen.

Open source
Pure Gold Medal – Four Seasons Collection (Spring) sale notice Japan Mint

Official medal identity, pure-gold wording, 15 g approximate weight, 26 mm diameter, product treatment, original price of 228,000 yen, and sales quantity of 300.

Open source
Pure Gold Medal – Four Seasons Collection (Summer) sale notice Japan Mint

Official medal identity, pure-gold wording, 15 g approximate weight, 26 mm diameter, product treatment, original price of 262,000 yen, and sales quantity of 300.

Open source
Pure Gold Medal – Four Seasons Collection (Autumn) product record Japan Mint Online Shop

Official medal identity, product code 2202450203, pure-gold product wording, and original shop price of 275,000 yen. Unstated specifications remain null.

Open source
Pure Gold Medal – Four Seasons Collection (Winter) sale notice Japan Mint

Official medal identity, pure-gold wording, 15 g approximate weight, 26 mm diameter, product treatment, original price of 330,000 yen, and sales quantity of 300.

Open source
Bullion coin programs United States Mint

Comparative evidence for an explicitly designated recurring bullion program.

Open source
Britannia bullion coins The Royal Mint

Comparative evidence for named bullion coins sold as investment products.

Open source
Gold Maple Leaf bullion coin Royal Canadian Mint

Comparative evidence for bullion labeling, ounce weight, purity, and investment positioning.

Open source
Okinawa Reversion 50th Anniversary 10,000-yen gold coin images Wikimedia Commons

CC BY 4.0 exact obverse and reverse source files credited to the Ministry of Finance Japan.

Open source