National Printing Bureau

National Printing Bureau

Head office, in the Kyodo Tsushin Kaikan
Formation	July 1871; 152 years ago (1871-07) as Paper Money Office April 1, 2003; 21 years ago (2003-04-01) as National Printing Bureau
Type	Incorporated Administrative Agency
Legal status	Active
Purpose	To contribute to the stability of the monetary system by manufacturing banknotes
Region served	Japan
Official language	Japanese English (secondary)
President	Takehito Matsumura
Staff	4,196 (as of January 1, 2019)
Website	npb.go.jp
^[1]

National Printing Bureau (独立行政法人国立印刷局, Dokuritsu gyōsei hōjin Kokuritsu Insatsu-kyoku) (NPB) is a Japanese governmental agency in charge of the production of Japanese paper money, Japanese yen. It also produces various other products, such as postage stamps and the official governmental gazette.

History

The Paper Money Office was created on July 27, 1871 under the administration of the Ministry of Finance, and was soon renamed in August the Paper Money Bureau. At the time, banknote printing was outsourced to the United States and Germany, as Japan did not have the required facilities for domestic production. The bureau managed the private banks and managed the issue and exchange of banknotes.

In January 1872, production of paper money was handed over to the Paper Money Bureau, and it acquired papermaking and printing duties. These included the production of banknotes, securities, postage stamps, and typographic printing. The first domestically produced Japanese money, a 1-yen banknote, was created on October 15, 1877.

The Paper Money Bureau was merged with the Official Gazette Bureau on January 1, 1898, and thus acquired the duty of printing the Official Gazette, starting July 2, 1898. The Bureau became an incorporated administrative agency (Independent Administrative Institution) in April 2003.^[2]

Organization

The NPB includes a Head Office, Research Institute, Government Publications Service Center, and several production plants.

Head office

The head office includes strategic planning, evaluation and auditing, security products, information products, research and development, general affairs, human resources, and finance and accounting departments.

Plants

The NPB has several production plants. Toranomon is responsible for publishing the Official Gazette and other government publications. At Takinogawa banknotes, public bonds, and certificate stamps are made, and at Oji postage stamps are printed. Plants at Odawara, Shizuoka, and Hikone also produce banknotes, while Odawara makes paper as well, along with Okayama.^[3]

The Odawara Plant, where about 500 Someiyoshino and other cherry trees are planted, holds on a weekend in early April, every year, an open house to let the general public enjoy viewing cherry blossoms.^[4]

Environmental activities

The Bureau's environmental philosophy is "Conduct business activities in harmony with the environment." It is attempting to acquire ISO 14001 certification. Five of its plants have already done so: Takinogawa in 2002, Odawara in 2004, Hikone in 2006, Okayama in 2007, and Shizuoka in 2009. The Bureau prepares and publishes an environmental report on its website yearly.

Five areas of focus are:

Environmental Compliance: Compliance with environmental laws and regulations
Resource and Energy Saving: Reduction in the usage of resources and energy, and in waste production
Product Design and Production with Low Environmental Load: Engineering products for minimal environmental impact in all phases of the product lifecycle
Green Procurement
Environmental Conservation Enlightenment: Promotion of awareness through employee education programs^[5]

References

^ "Bureau Overview". National Printing Bureau. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
^ "History". National Printing Bureau. Retrieved July 23, 2010.
^ "Organization". National Printing Bureau. Retrieved July 23, 2010.
^ 10. National Printing Bureau, Cherry Blossoms in Odawara City (Odawara City's Sightseeing Bureau)
^ "Environmental Activities". National Printing Bureau. Retrieved July 23, 2010.

Japanese currency

Topics

Circulating
currency

Coinage	¥1 ¥5 ¥10 ¥50 ¥100 ¥500
Banknotes	¥1000 ¥2000 ¥5000 ¥10,000

Historical
coinage

Rin	1r 5r
Sen	1⁄2s 1s 2s 5s 10s 20s 50s
Yen	¥2 ¥20

Historical
banknotes

Sen	5s 10s 20s 50s
Yen	¥1 ¥2 ¥5 ¥10 ¥20 ¥50 ¥100 ¥200 ¥500
Military	Japanese military currency 1894–1918 1937–1945 Allied Military Currency A yen B yen

Commemoratives

v t e Incorporated Administrative Agencies in Japan
There are 102 institutions as of April 1, 2012. Bold institutions employ national public servants.
Cabinet Office	National Archives of Japan ja:Northern Territories Issue Association ja:National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications	National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) ja:National Statistics Center ja:Public Foundation for Peace and Consolation ja:Management Organization for Postal Savings and Postal Life Insurance
Ministry of Foreign Affairs	Japan International Cooperation Agency Japan Foundation
Ministry of Finance	ja:National Research Institute of Brewing Japan Mint National Printing Bureau Commemorative Organization for the Japan World Exposition '70
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology	ja:National Institute of Special Education National Center for University Entrance Examinations ja:National Institution For Youth Education ja:National Women's Education Center National Museum of Nature and Science National Institute for Materials Science ja:National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention ja:National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology National Institutes for Cultural Heritage ja:National Institute of Radiological Sciences ja:National Center for Teachers' Development Japan Science and Technology Agency Japan Society for the Promotion of Science RIKEN Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency ja:National Agency for the Advancement of Sports and Health Japan Arts Council ja:Japan Student Services Organization Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology ja:Institute of National Colleges of Technology National Institution for Academic Degrees and University Evaluation Japan Atomic Energy Agency
Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare	ja:National Institute of Health and Nutrition ja:National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health ja:Organization for Workers Retirement Allowance Mutual Aid ja:Japan Organization for Employment of the Elderly, Persons with Disabilities and Job Seekers ja:Welfare And Medical Service Agency ja:National Center for Persons with Severe Intellectual Disabilities, Nozominosono Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training ja:Japan Labour Health and Welfare Organization ja:National Hospital Organization ja:Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Agency ja:National Institute of Biomedical Innovation ja:Readjustment of Facilities for Insured Persons and Beneficiaries Organization Government Pension Investment Fund ja:National Cancer Center ja:National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center Hospital ja:National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry ja:National Center for Global Health and Medicine ja:National Center for Child Health and Development ja:National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontrogy
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries	ja:Food and Agricultural Materials Inspection Center ja:National Center for Seeds and Seedlings ja:National Livestock Breeding Center ja:National Fisheries University ja:National Agriculture and Food Research Organization ja:National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences ja:National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences ja:Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences ja:Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute ja:Fisheries Research Agency ja:Agriculture & Livestock Industries Corporation ja:Farmer's Pension Fund ja:Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Credit Foundations
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry	ja:Information-Technology Promotion Agency ja:Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry ja:National Center for Industrial Property Information and Training Nippon Export and Investment Insurance National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology National Institute of Technology and Evaluation New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization Japan External Trade Organization ja:Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization ja:Information-technology Promotion Agency Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation ja:Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism	ja:Public Works Research Institute ja:Building Research Institute ja:National Traffic Safety and Environment Laboratory ja:National Maritime Research Institute ja:Port and Airport Research Institute ja:Electronic Navigation Research Institute ja:National Institute for Sea Training ja:Marine Technical Education Agency ja:Civil Aviation College ja:National Agency of Vehicle Inspection: Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency Japan National Tourism Organization ja:Japan Water Agency ja:National Agency for Automotive Safety & Victims' Aid ja:Organization for Environment Improvement around International Airports ja:Maritime Disaster Prevention Center ja:Urban Renaissance Agency ja:Fund for the Promotion and Development of the Amami Islands ja:Japan Expressway Holding and Debt Repayment Agency ja:Japan Housing Finance Agency
Ministry of the Environment	ja:National Institute for Environmental Studies ja:Environmental Restoration and Conservation Agency
Ministry of Defense	ja:Labor Management Organization for USFJ Employees
Related topics	ja:Act on General Rules for Independent Administrative Agency List of Independent Administrative Institutes in Japan ja:Japanese administrative reforms ja:Government Revitalization Unit ja:Japanese government program review ja:Japanese extra-governmental organizations