500 Yen - Heisei Miyazaki

Japan's 500 yen coin has been a persistent target for counterfeiters since its introduction in 1982 — at its peak exchange rate it was briefly the highest-value circulating coin in the world, making forgery economically worthwhile. The bimetallic construction introduced in 2000 was a direct response to a flood of high-quality counterfeits, particularly from South Korea, that had forced a nationwide redesign ahead of schedule.

The Miyazaki prefectural issue belongs to the 47 Prefectures Coin Program, a decade-long series launched in 2008 issuing two designs per prefecture in sequence.