Welcome to "Learn Japanese from the News."

In this program, we'll learn Japanese and about the country through Japanese news stories.

Our headline for today is: Japan to Issue Redesigned Banknotes in July 2024.

So here's the current 10,000 yen note, which has the educator Fukuzawa Yukichi on the front.

The 5,000 yen note features novelist Higuchi Ichiyo,

and the 1,000 yen note has bacteriologist Noguchi Hideo.

These three denominations will be getting a makeover.

Apparently, this is the first redesign
in 20 years.

20 years! I really look forward to seeing the new designs.

Me too.

But before we listen to the news story in Japanese, let's go over some key terms.

"osatsu."

banknote or bill.

"saikin."

bacteria.

"nisemono."

counterfeit or forgery.

OK, try to follow along.

The government is currently making

newly designed 10,000 yen, 5,000 yen,
and 1,000 yen banknotes.

On June 28,

they announced that they plan to use
the notes from July next year.

The new 10,000 yen note features
Shibusawa Eiichi,

who's referred to as the "father of
the modern Japanese economy."

On the 5,000 yen note is Tsuda Umeko,

the first Japanese woman
to study in the U.S.,

and on the 1,000 yen note is
Kitasato Shibasaburo, who studied bacteria.

The notes use various technologies
to prevent counterfeiting.

They feature shining holograms with faces
that appear to change orientation in 3D

when the bills are tilted at an angle.

The notes will be the first in the world
to use this technology.

I was thrilled to see that Tsuda Umeko was chosen for the 5,000 yen note,

because I have long been fascinated by her story.

I think my international students
would be particularly interested

in the anti-counterfeiting technology.

Right, the story says the new notes will feature special holograms that look like they're moving in 3D!

OK, now, let's review the following sentence from the story.

The new 10,000 yen note features Shibusawa Eiichi,
known as the "father of the modern Japanese economy."

Now read along with me.

"atarashii ichi-man-en wa

Nippon no keezai no chichi to yobarete iru

Shibusawa Eiichi ga dezain-sarete imasu."

Sensee, what is the key phrase here?

The key is the passive expression
"yobareteiru."

Chiara, it says he's "referred to as
the father of the Japanese economy."

Who do you think calls him that?

So this is a little vague, but I think the implication is that he's known in Japan

as the father of the Japanese economy.

That's right.

The sentence doesn't name
anyone specific.

If we don't know who's doing the action,
or if it's an unspecified number of people,

we use the passive form
so we can omit the doer of the action.

It's good to get familiar with passive forms of Japanese verbs because in my experience they are used a lot.

Right.

OK, take a look at this.

Chiara, could you describe
what's happening here in English?

OK, so... Yesterday, an elderly woman asked a young man for directions.

Now, let's say you were this young man.
How would you explain this in English?

OK, so... Yesterday, an elderly woman asked me for directions.

All right.

Now, Yamaguchi-san, let's say
you were this young man.

How would you describe this in Japanese?

Yesterday, I was asked by an elderly woman for directions.
(Kinoo, watashi wa obaasan ni michi o kikaremashita.)

Right.

So...

"Obaasan ga watashi ni
michi o kikimashita"

is also grammatically correct.

But when conveying your own experience,

it's more natural to say "Watashi wa
obaasan ni michi o kikaremashita."

In Japanese, we usually say who did what
from the speaker's point of view.

So it sounds more natural to use
passive constructions accordingly.

But let's say your friend came
to your house.

The passive expression
"Tomodachi ni uchi ni koraremashita"

makes it sounds like you were annoyed
by their visit. So be careful.

This is definitely something that can trip up a lot of people learning Japanese,

because in English, when the person doing an action is clear,

they tend to be the subject of the sentence.

Well, unless you are intentionally downplaying their importance.

Exactly.

- OK, Tokunaga-sensee. Thank you.
- Thank you.

"Inside Japan."

So each of the three redesigned notes will feature a new face.

Now, is there a common thread that ties them all together?

Yes, the three figures all made significant contributions to issues

that continue to be relevant in Japan today.

Kitasato Shibasaburo was a bacteriologist and pioneer in infectious disease prevention,

who was the first to successfully cultivate a pure culture of tetanus bacteria.

He's been chosen as a symbol of Japan's scientific and technological spirit.

Tsuda Umeko was a pioneering educator who drew upon her studies abroad

and founded one of Japan's first private institutions of higher learning for women,

which is now Tsuda University.

She dedicated her life to empowering women to be independent,

and her selection speaks to Japan's ongoing efforts to achieve gender equality.

And Shibusawa Eiichi was an industrialist who founded or was involved in over 500 companies during his lifetime.

He's been chosen as a symbol of business leadership and the government's push to foster startups,

which is a key part of its growth strategy.

So the new designs reflect an awareness of the issues facing Japan, but also a vision of the future.

But why now - what is the reasoning behind the timing of this makeover?

Yes... Japan redesigns its banknotes periodically to combat counterfeiting,

and each time they introduce new security features.

Check this out.

The Currency Museum of the Bank of Japan is located in Tokyo.

Visitors can see up close how Japanese money has evolved throughout history.

Some of the current banknotes include a hologram as a security feature.

The image and colors change depending on the angle of view,

displaying the face value, cherry blossoms, and the Bank of Japan logo.

The new notes will all feature a special holographic portrait.

Tilt the bill, and the face appears to move in 3D.

Because they are difficult to replicate, these images will help minimize the risk of counterfeiting.

Watermarks are another security measure used to protect paper money.

The redesigned bills will feature updated ones with more elaborate backgrounds.

Over the years, we've issued new bills
with more advanced security features

In response to evolving
counterfeiting tactics.

And we will continue to do so
in the future.

While cashless payments are becoming more common, cash still definitely rules here…

so I can understand why the paper money has to continue evolving.

Yes.

So now, one thing to be aware of come summer 2024 is that there may be a time lag

before all ticket machines and vending machines are modified to read the new banknotes.

So keep an eye out for signs that say things like "Shin-sen-en-satsu wa riyoo dekimasen."

Or "taioo-shite imasen."

The machine won't accept those bills.

But what about the notes currently in circulation?

They'll still be valid.

But printing has already stopped for those designs, so over time we'll see fewer and fewer of them.

OK, and that's all for today.

We'll see you next time.

See you soon.