Message from the President

Welcome to the website of the National Printing Bureau.

The National Printing Bureau (NPB) assumes a role in supplying products of a highly public nature that are closely related to the lives of the people. These include Bank of Japan notes, which play an important role in the nation’s payment and settlement systems, and the Official Gazette, through which the Japanese government issues official notices regarding laws, regulations and other matters. NPB also prints passports, postage stamps, certificate stamps, revenue stamps and various other types of certificate paper. Since our founding in 1871 as the Paper Money Office (Shiheishi) under the Ministry of Finance, NPB has worked to ensure a stable supply of high-quality products, having celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2021.

The issuance of new banknotes started on July 3, 2024. As new anti-counterfeit measures, high-definition watermark patterns and hologram using most-advanced technology are adopted to further strengthen notes’ security. In addition, the application of universal design enables the distinguishability of the denomination to be improved.

The new series of passport, the 2025 passport, started to be issued in March 2025. Passports had been personalized at local passport offices, etc. in the past. Currently, NPB centrally personalizes passports as well as blank booklets.

NPB’s anti-counterfeiting technologies are also used in postage stamps, certificate stamps, revenue stamps, and other products for which high security and reliability are required from a public viewpoint.

In accordance with the Act on the Issuance of Official Gazettes, the Official Gazettes have been provided in electronic form since April 2025. While promoting the digitalization in society as well as raising the convenience of users, NPB contributes to the provision of important public notices accurately and securely. In April 2025, NPB also started the operation of a part of the base registry (Public Basic Information Database) by leveraging the know-how accumulated through the data management of the Official Gazette.

To ensure the smooth functioning of the country’s indispensable social infrastructure, NPB must supply high-quality products and services. The Bureau is also keenly aware of the need to raise public trust in our work by having the public gain a broad informed understanding of our mission, roles, and activities.

NPB is committed to further enhancing the advanced technology that underpins the tradition of manufacturing and the trust cultivated since its establishment, responding to the social environmental changes and the needs of a new era, thereby contributing to further advancement of the lives of people.

On behalf of the Bureau, I look forward to your kind understanding and continued support.

KAWAMURA Naoki
President, National Printing Bureau

Banknotes

Introduction to Official Gazette