According to Xinhua News Agency, affected by the continuous rise in non-ferrous metal prices and the depreciation of the yen, the raw material cost of various denominations of Japanese coins has exceeded their face value. Data from the Mint Bureau of the Japanese Ministry of Finance shows that a 10-yen coin consists of 95% copper and 3% to 4% zinc, weighing 4.5 grams. Based on prices published by JX Metals and Mitsui Mining & Smelting, the raw material cost of this coin reached approximately 10.4 yen on June 15, exceeding its face value of 10 yen. The 5-yen coin, also primarily composed of copper and zinc, has seen its cost rise to about 6.3 yen, exceeding its face value. For the 1-yen coin, made of aluminum, the domestic wholesale price of aluminum has risen about 20% compared to before the outbreak of the Middle East conflict, to around 690,000 yen per ton, driven by the situation in that region. The raw material cost of the 1-yen coin is currently about 70% of its face value.
Officials from the Japanese Ministry of Finance stated that since raw materials mainly come from recycled old coins, the overall impact is currently limited, and the Japan Mint has not yet released specific cost data. However, the raw material value exceeding the face value has raised concerns about illegal melting of coins for profit. Under current Japanese law, intentionally damaging or melting coins is punishable by imprisonment for up to one year or a fine of up to 1 million yen.