OSAKA — Yoshitaka Kimura takes pride in the skillful hands with which he is able to complete the job that the machines fail to accomplish in turning out coins at Japan Mint's Osaka headquarters.
The incorporated administrative agency in Osaka is in high gear minting ¥10 coins showing the year Heisei 22 inscribed on the reverse side. It represents the number of years since Emperor Akihito succeeded his father, Emperor Showa, in 1989.
The facility makes about 60 percent of coins in circulation in the country, ranging from the lightweight ¥1 coin, made from aluminum, to the ¥500 coin, the largest one used.