全通翻譯/翻譯社

◎張沛元

For the first time in 43 years, the Japan Mint did not produce any 1-yen coins for circulation, the Finance Ministry said.

日本財務省表示，日本造幣局43年來首度完全沒有製造任何1枚1日圓硬幣供流通。

In production every year since 1968, the Finance Ministry decided not to make any 1-yen coins in 2011 because it said the denomination is seeing less use due to an increase in electronic payments.

當局從1968年起每年都會製造1日圓硬幣，但財務省在2011年決定不製造任何1枚1日圓硬幣，理由是愈來愈多人使用電子付款，讓這種面額的硬幣使用率愈來愈低。

The Japan Mint produced 456,000 1-yen coins in 2011--but none for circulation--they were all for memorial "money sets."

日本造幣局在2011年製造45萬6000枚1日圓硬幣，但都不是可流通使用的硬幣，而是組合紀念幣。

The Finance Ministry decides the number of coins to be produced based on the volume of currency in circulation.

財務省根據貨幣的流通量來決定製造硬幣的數量。

In the peak year of 1990, the year after a 3-percent consumption tax was introduced, 2.77 billion 1-yen coins were manufactured.

在1990年的顛峰時期，也就是實施3%消費稅的隔年，當局製造了27億7000萬枚1日圓硬幣。

With the spread of electronic money such as Suica cards, which causes fewer people to use small change, the number of 1-yen coins manufactured has dramatically dropped since 2007.

隨著像是Suica卡等的電子錢包的普及，愈來愈少人使用零錢，1日圓硬幣的製造量便從2007年起驟減。

Five-yen and 50-yen coins shared the same fate. Both coins were not manufactured for circulation in 2010 and 2011.

5日圓與50日圓硬幣也面臨相同命運。當局在2010與2011年也沒有製造這兩種面額的硬幣供流通使用。

新聞辭典

circulation：名詞，貨幣流通。例句：There are a lot of forge money in circulation in this country. （該國流通偽幣的情況猖獗。）

based on：片語，根據。例句：The TV drama is based on a true story.（這部電視劇是根據真人真事改編。）

peak：名詞，山頂；高峰。例句：The novel was written at the peak of the writer’s career.（這本小說是作者筆耕生涯最高峰時期的作品。）