The 1 yen should've been taken out of circulation even earlier than the penny. Right now it's only worth about .65 of a US penny. Other countries have taken their 1 cent equivalent out of circulation and stores haven't stopped doing the .99 ending in prices-- you just round at the register.

Several countries got rid of the penny already, we still have pricing listed to the 1 cent. If you pay cash it's rounded to the nearest 5cent if you pay with card it's not rounded at all.

Nothing changes you just don't spend money minting coins that cost more than their value, and don't have to wait behind someone digging through their wallet for those pennies that they "swear are in here somewhere"

I got to say I disagree about the pricing thing. I know every business uses this psychological exploit, but to any kind of budget conscious shopper, doing math with round numbers is so so so much better. Like if I'm looking at a case of oil for my car and six bottles is $40, it makes it way easier to figure out the price per liter instead of bullshit like $38.99

I'd argue it's because of a hatred of anything that looks like price increases, especially among the older crowd. Japan is still very much cash-based, especially in those older generations. Then 1-yen coin being light and cheap probably helps, but I don't know if it actually costs more to make.

That said, I'd be happy getting rid of the 1 and 5 yen coins, especially since machines do not tend to take them.