Tokyo Games coin designs to be decided by public vote

June 18, 2019

Tokyo--Japan's Finance Ministry said Tuesday that it will decide the designs for 500-yen coins commemorating the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games by public vote.

The three candidate designs for the obverse faces of the 500-yen coins, one for the Olympics and the other for the Paralympics, feature images of wind and thunder gods, Mount Fuji and the New National Stadium in Tokyo, the marquee facility for the 2020 Games.

It is the first time for a design for a Japanese memorial coin to be decided by popular vote, according to the ministry. The ministry aims to boost anticipation for the 2020 Games by getting the public involved.

Votes can be submitted on the Finance Ministry's Twitter page, by mail to Japan Mint and in person elsewhere. The result will be announced in July.

The most popular design will be minted and available around July 2020 at financial institutions.

The ministry plans to issue a total of 37 types of coin commemorating the Tokyo Games in four batches.

It also unveiled designs for 10 types of memorial coin to be issued in the third batch. The 1,000-yen silver coin will feature sports such as gymnastics and wheelchair tennis. Jiji Press