Japan’s Rupee & Cent Currencies!

S Balakrishnan *

Obverse of 10 rupee note
Reverse of 10 rupee note

The other day as I was organising my of coin & currency collection (technically 'numismatic' collection), I discovered a rare collection of three different currencies issued by one nation. The set consists of a Yen note, a Cent note and a Rupee Note - all three Notes issued by the Japanese Government.

Yen is the official currency of Japan; so nothing unusual about the Yen currency note. But what about the Cent and Rupee currencies issued by the Japanese Government? They are indeed unusual and of much interest to numismatic collectors. What was the need for Japan to issue Rupee & Cent notes?

As World War II (1 Sept 1939 – 2 Sept 1945) was raging, the Imperial Japanese Government was slowly but surely inching towards India (along with Netaji's INA army), capturing on the way various British colonies in the South East Asian region.

Burma (Myanmar) had fallen into Japanese hands and also the Andaman & Nicobar Island Territory of British India. In such occupied countries / colonies, Japan decided to issue new local currencies replacing those already in vogue, to ensure & enforce its hegemony.

The Ten Rupee Note in my possession is among those issued in Burma by the Imperial Japanese Government during WW-II.

Rupee Notes in denominations of ¼, ½ , 1, 5, 10 and 100 were issued by Japan; these were also in use in A&N Islands for about 3 ½ years ( March 22, 1942 - 7th October 1945) when the Islands were under Japanese occupational rule. But the currency was of no use because of acute scarcity of essential goods.

The obverse side of these rupee notes depicts a serene setting of a huge Buddhist Pagoda with bullocks and carts (probably of pilgrims) near the entrance. It is the Ananda Pagoda in Bagan area of Myanmar that is depicted on the note. As Buddhism was the official religion of Royal Japan, it was appropriate that the notes carried the image of a Burmese Buddhist Pagoda.

The trees near the Pagoda seem to be arecanut (supari) trees, while coconut trees flank the border of the note. Tender tea leaves are depicted at the bottom left corner. In the central bottom is printed "Government of Great Imperial Japan" in Japanese language.

Finance Minister's seal is printed to its left. Value is printed five times in Hindu-Arabic numeral and once in Roman numeral, and once in words. Mostly in pink, the 10 rupee currency note has a dash of light green for the Roman X.

On the reverse, the value of the currency note is printed seven times in Hindu-Arabic numeral and once in words on an intricately designed guilloche background (ornamentation resembling braided or interlaced ribbons) which, in some places, remind me the slithering python skin. The ¼, ½, 1, 5, 10 and 100 rupee notes all have the same design on the obverse, though colours vary.

Obverse of 50 Cent note
Reverse of 50 Cent note

A notable missing feature is that while all the notes have only the series (like BA in the note that I have), there is no serial number at all! The B indicates that the note was printed and issued for Burma, while the second letter 'A' indicates the printing batch (block). The 10 rupee note is of the size 160 mm x 76 mm.

Similar is the background of the 50 Cent note that I have. The Japanese government-issued Dollar/Cent was for use within the Imperial Japan-occupied territories of Singapore, Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak and Brunei between 1942 and 1945.

The currency was also referred to informally (and with contempt and derision) as banana money (Malay: duit pisang), named as such because of the motifs of banana trees on 10 dollar banknotes. The Japanese dollar was in widespread use within the occupied territories where the previous currency became scarce.

The currency notes were referred to as "dollars" and "cents" like its predecessors, the Straits dollar, Malayan dollar, Sarawak dollar and British North Borneo dollar.

The obverse has a picture of Ravenala Madagascariensi (traveller's palm) tree and the reverse has the value printed upon a guilloche background. The series MP indicate that it was printed and issued for use in Malaya (M), and the printing block/batch (P).

It was by sheer luck that I got these two notes – the 10 rupee note and the 50 cent note. While working in Port Blair (1978-80, my first place of posting), I was gathering information about the period of Japanese occupation of Port Blair.

During the course of this 'investigative journalism' my friend introduced me to a local labourer of Andaman PWD who handed over these notes to me. Needless to say, my friend was his immediate boss (Jr. Engineer).

I wonder who this magnanimous person was that handed over this 1000 Yen currency of Nippon to me! Because 1 ¥ = 0.60 Rupees (60 Paise), so 1000 ¥ = 596.20 Rupees!

Obverse of 1000 Yen
Reverse of 1000 Yen

A Yen is subdivided into 100 sen (錢). This 1993-2004 old paper bank note carries the portrait of Natsume Soseki (1867-1916), a Japanese novelist. A pair of Manchurian cranes decorates the reverse of this note. The seal is of the Governor of the Bank of Japan.

The watermark also carries the novelist's image. Yes, a novelist! And so I consider this 1000 Yen note a special one as it honours a writer (like me). It makes me dream of having my own portrait in our rupee note during my lifetime itself!

This is possible only if the government permits the citizens to print their own currency with their own portrait as in the case of 'My Stamp' scheme of India Post. Any problem!