New bank notes to replace the current 10,000 yen, 5,000 yen and 1,000 yen bills will enter circulation in November, Finance Ministry officials said Tuesday.
Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki will officially announce the plan Thursday, they said. Design problems with the new 5,000 yen bill were cleared recently.
The introduction of the new bills had been set for July, but design problems with the 5,000 yen bill, which will feature a portrait of Ichiyo Higuchi (1872-1896), a female novelist and poet of the Meiji Era, caused a delay.
The delay was attributed to "difficulties in achieving the right color tone and balance" for the bill, a ministry official said.
The government began printing the new 10,000 yen and 1,000 yen notes last year.
The new 1,000 yen bill will feature microbiologist Hideyo Noguchi (1876-1928), who dedicated his life to researching infectious diseases.
The new 10,000 yen bill will continue to bear the portrait of Fukuzawa Yukichi.
