The minting cost of some Japanese yen coins exceeds their face value.

Due to the continuous rise in non-ferrous metal prices used in coin minting and the ongoing depreciation of the Japanese yen, the metal value of the 10-yen coin has been increasing and has now exceeded its face value. The Japan Mint, which operates under the Ministry of Finance, recently pointed out that the 10-yen coin is composed of 95% copper and 3% to 4% zinc, with each coin weighing 4.5 grams. According to prices published by JX Metals and Mitsui Mining & Smelting, the raw material cost of a 10-yen coin reached about 10.4 yen as of the 15th. Since international non-ferrous metals are priced in US dollars, the depreciation of the yen has pushed up domestic Japanese prices of these metals. Following increases in copper and zinc prices, the raw material cost of the 5-yen coin (made of copper and zinc) has also risen to approximately 6.3 yen, surpassing its face value. (Xinhua News Agency)