Nara Prefectural Police said Thursday they have arrested a 45-year-old man on suspicion of using a counterfeit 10,000 yen note at a coffee shop in the city of Nara on Dec. 20.

A police search of Kazumichi Kurihara's home in Yamatokoriyama in the prefecture yielded the image data for one type of fake bill that was used at shrines and temples in the Kansai region during the New Year's holidays.

According to investigators, Kurihara handed a coffee shop employee the 10,000 yen bill to purchase a 1,200 yen bag of coffee beans. He was arrested Wednesday.

Kurihara, who told police he works as an "information distributor," has denied any wrongdoing, they added.

The serial number of the 10,000 yen note on the image was ZY853618T. At least 48 counterfeit bills carrying this serial number have been found in Kyoto, Osaka and Nara prefectures during the New Year's holiday period, according to police.

Meanwhile, police tallies showed Thursday that an additional 140 counterfeit 10,000 yen bills have been found across the country.

Shops at the Hokkaido Shrine in Sapporo found 83 fake bills, while 21 were used in public baths, convenience stores and other places in Gunma Prefecture. Thirty-four fake bills were used at convenience stores and other shops in Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures.

About 240 counterfeit bills were found to have been used in 10 prefectures this past week, according to the National Police Agency.

In the latest haul, 34 counterfeit bills found to have been used in the two prefectures carried the serial number QV700608C, which was different from the three codes -- VJ838046M, ZY853618T and QY436254F -- carried on the bogus bills that had been discovered by Wednesday.

The remainder of the 140 bills carry one of these three serial numbers.