Catalog
1000 Yen US Military Currency - B-Note
| Issuer | Allied Military Authority (United States) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1951 |
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| Size | 155 × 66 mm |
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| Obverse description | Olive-green on light underprint, the face dominated by a large bold letter "B" guilloche underprint at left centre, with the English denomination "ONE THOUSAND YEN" and Chinese character 圓 (en) printed centrally. Denomination numerals "1000" appear at lower left and upper right within ornate cartouches, with the kanji 千 (one thousand) in circular vignettes at far left and right corners. Serial numbers appear at lower left and upper right, with the inscription "MILITARY CURRENCY" across the lower margin and "SERIES 100" noted in the text. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 千 軍票 SERIES 100 B 1000 ONE THOUSAND A 088028 A 圓 千 YEN A 088028 A B SERIES 100 1000 千 MILITARY CURRENCY (Translation: 1000 Military currency 1000 yen 1000) |
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| Comments |
The B-Yen notes were issued by the United States military for use in occupied Japan, denominated in yen but completely separate from the Japanese domestic currency supply — the deliberate segregation was meant to prevent American servicemen from arbitraging the artificially pegged exchange rate. The 1951 series replaced the earlier 1945–46 occupation currency as the Korean War dramatically increased the number of U.S. personnel cycling through Japan, making the volume of currency exchange a genuine macroeconomic problem for the host economy.
B-Yen were non-convertible outside military channels, though black market leakage was persistent and well-documented by occupation authorities throughout the early 1950s.