Japan started minting gold and silver commemorative coins devoted to the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, aiming to raise funds for the restoration of the damaged northeastern region, NHK reports.
Japan will strike 45,000 gold coins (10,000 yen, or nearly $80 each) and 180,000 silver coins (1000 yen, or some $8 each) in Osaka.
One side of a coin shows an embossed picture of a 250-year-old pine – the only survived tree in the washed-away town of Rikuzentakata.
The tragedy led to the Fukushima disaster when the tsunami swept across the Japanese shores.
