The Japan Mint said Wednesday it has made and delivered 1,000 commemorative coins for the Central Bank of Oman, the first time Japan has minted coins for a country in the Middle East.
The silver coins, commemorating Oman's 44th National Day anniversary on Tuesday, have a face value of 1 rial, or about ¥300, and bear a national emblem on the obverse side and the Oman Council building on the reverse side.
Oman is the eighth country for which Japan has produced coins since World War II.
The mint said it hopes the move "will contribute to further strengthening the relations of the two countries."
The coins have already been delivered to Oman and the central bank has started issuing them. The mint said there is no plan to sell the coins in Japan.
The Finance Ministry and the Japan Mint are stepping up efforts to produce foreign coins as the production volume of coins for Japan is falling amid growing use of electronic charge cards.