Finance Ministry unveils new design for 500 yen coin

TOKYO, Japan - The Japanese Finance Ministry on Dec. 27 unveiled a new design for Japan's 500 yen coin in a bid to counter swindlers who put altered foreign coins of much less value in vending machines to obtain 500 yen coins or change. The coin's metal mixture is modified to change its electrical conductivity. The new design also includes latent images within the large zeros -- of the number 500 (Top) which can be seen when the coin is viewed from a lower angle and a dark straight line (Below) when viewed from an upper angle. The new coins will be issued next August.

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