Japan will mint a colored silver coin to mark the 50th anniversary of the reversion of the Amami Islands from the United States, Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa said Tuesday.
The 1,000 yen coin, to be made of pure silver, will feature the Lidth's jay, a protected bird native to the area, a lily on the front and the islands on the back. Nine colors will be used for the bird and the flower.
The coin will be 40 mm in diameter and weigh 31.1 grams. A total of 50,000 coins will be issued and will go on sale in November.
The price of the coin, which will be above the face value, will be decided around August.
It is expected to be around the price of the silver 1,000 yen coin issued to mark the Fifth Winter Asian Games in Aomori Prefecture in February, which was sold for 6,000 yen, a Finance Ministry official said.
