WORLD COINS - JAPAN - 5 SEN - CIRCULATION

1940 Japan 5 Sen — Shōwa 15

1.2 g standard

01 IDENTITY

Coin Identity

CountryJapan

Denomination5 Sen (0.05 Yen)

Calendar Year1940

Japanese EraShōwa 15

Date Inscription昭和十五年 (coin legend arranged right-to-left)

Coin TypeGolden Kite Aluminum 5 Sen

Issue FormatStandard circulation issue

Minting AuthorityJapan Mint

02 PHYSICAL PROFILE

Physical Specifications

CompositionAluminum (official reference: pure aluminum)

1940-dated standard1.2 g

Diameter19.0 mm official type standard

Catalogue Thickness1.6 mm [Numista N#9225; secondary type-level value]

ShapeRound

EdgeReeded

OrientationMedal alignment ↑↑ [Numista secondary catalogue]

Official Bank of Japan reference material supplies the 19.0 mm diameter and the 1.2 g / 1.0 g / 0.8 g standard sequence. Numista's 1.6 mm thickness is retained only as a secondary type-level catalogue figure.

03 DESIGN & CONTEXT

Design & Historical Context

Golden Kite Side

The dated side uses a Golden Kite motif with the national authority and the Shōwa date.

Chrysanthemum & Value Side

The denomination side combines the chrysanthemum, stylized clouds and the 5 Sen value.

Wartime Context

Japan Mint records that the 5 Sen changed to pure aluminum in 1940. As aluminum became strategically important, the standard weight was reduced in 1941 and again in 1943.

Artwork & Rights Note

Only independently composed archive text is presented. No third-party Numista photograph, valuation table, logo or copyrighted catalogue illustration is reproduced.

04 ISSUE & MINTAGE

Issue Information

Calendar Year1940

Japanese DateShōwa 15 (昭和十五年)

1940-dated 1.2 g standard — Mintage410,020,460 coins

Mintage scopeNumista Y#60 places the quantity on the 1940 row; the 1941 1.2 g entry has no separate quantity. This archive therefore retains 410,020,460 as a secondary catalogue group figure rather than asserting an official 1940-only Japan Mint total.

Japan Mint Annual/Variant Mintage VerificationNot located in the consulted official Japan Mint sources; no secondary grouped figure is promoted to an official annual total

The mintage information follows the supplied Numista N#9225 year/weight entries. Blank rows remain blank in the archive, and grouped secondary quantities are not silently converted into year-only official totals.

05 COLLECTION RECORD

Archive Information

Archive IDJP-5S-1940-SHOWA-AL

Coin Codejp5s40s

QR Short Codejp5s40s

QR Short URLhttps://metacoinart.com/q/jp5s40s

Canonical Path/world-coins/japan/5-sen/1940-1943-showa/1940/

Catalogue Cross-checkNumista N#9225 · Y#60 · JNDA#01-42

Archive StatusOfficial type/specification sequence documented; mintage retained as identified secondary catalogue data

06 SOURCES & REFERENCES

References

01 — PRIMARY OFFICIAL HISTORICAL SOURCE

Japan Mint — 150 Years of History

Japan Mint records that the 10 Sen and 5 Sen were changed to pure-aluminum coinage in 1940. As aluminum became increasingly important for aircraft, the weights of both denominations were reduced in 1941 and again in 1943.

Open reference

02 — OFFICIAL COIN-SPECIFIC SOURCE

Japan Mint — Mint Museum Special Exhibition Exhibit List

The official Mint Museum exhibit list records 1943 5 Sen aluminum specimens at approximately 19.01–19.08 mm in diameter and 0.80 g in weight, supporting the final wartime reduced standard.

Open reference

03 — OFFICIAL SPECIFICATION REFERENCE

Bank of Japan Currency Museum — Coins Since the Meiji Era

The Currency Museum's official reference table identifies the pure-aluminum 5 Sen standards as 19.0 mm / 1.2 g from 1940, 19.0 mm / 1.0 g from 1941, and 19.0 mm / 0.8 g from 1943, with a reeded edge.

Open reference

04 — SECONDARY NUMISMATIC CROSS-CHECK

Numista — Japan 5 Sen, Shōwa (N#9225)

Secondary cross-check for dated varieties, grouped mintage entries, catalogue thickness, design description and Y/JNDA identifiers. No Numista photograph, valuation table, logo or copyrighted catalogue illustration is reproduced.

Open reference

Independent research archive. ALL THAT CURRENCY is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Japan Mint, Bank of Japan, or Numista. External sources are linked only as identified references.