5 Sen w/ block number

The M series military scrip was issued for use by Japanese forces operating across occupied territories in China and Southeast Asia rather than for domestic circulation. These small-denomination notes handled the lowest tier of daily transaction needs — food, lodgings, minor requisitions — in areas where coin supply was deliberately withheld to consolidate Japanese economic control over local markets.

The block number, printed in the upper portion of the face, was introduced to manage issue accountability across multiple print runs from the Cabinet Printing Bureau. Its presence distinguishes this variant from earlier impressions lacking the block designation and is the primary identifier separating P#M9 from closely related issues in the same wartime scrip family.