New Japanese Passport

Beginning March 24th, Japan will begin issuing a new passport design featuring a plastic photo page with an imbedded chip to prevent forgery. The plastic page features a cherry blossom pattern that is visible when the page is tilted, in addition to a crane watermark, according to the Foreign Ministry. The new passports are expected to take about two weeks to be issued, which is longer than the current passport time frame, which is one week and are printed at municipal government offices (city hall). The new design will be produced by the National Printing Bureau, where the country’s banknotes are made. 

I read online that the cost of a 10 year Japanese adult passport is ¥16,000. I don’t know if that cost will go up with the new passports. A 10 year American adult passport costs US$130.