I found a banknote that says “The Japanese Government”, what is it?
It’s Japanese Invasion Money (JIM). This was printed by Japan for use in The Philippines, Malaya (not Malaysia), Burma, and Oceania during World War II (and presumably beyond) as part of the so called Co-Prosperity Sphere. Enormous quantities of these notes were printed and most of them are worth very little. However, they have an interesting history. Some have various overprints on them. Here’s a rundown on the different monetary units: • Burma: rupees/cents (block letters starting with “B”) • Philippines: pesos/centavos • Malaya: dollars/cents (block letters starting with “M”) • Oceania: pounds/shillings (block letters starting with “O”) • Netherlands Indies: gulden/cents (block letters starting with “S” – • “De Japansche Regeering” instead of “The Japanese Government”) The Malaya notes have been touted as “invasion” money made for the conquering of the U.S., but this is not correct.
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