Foreign media report that Japan is continuing to advance regulatory reforms for crypto assets, aiming to more clearly classify them as financial products. The article suggests that this shift will not only affect trading rules and tax obligations but may also pave the way for new products such as crypto ETFs.
Regulatory focus shifts to financial law
Last month, Japan’s House of Representatives passed a bill to shift the regulatory focus for cryptocurrencies from the Payment Services Act to the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. According to the article, the new rules are expected to take effect next year, at which point crypto assets will be classified as regulated financial instruments, subject to lower tax rates and stricter trading regulations.
The article notes that the focus of this adjustment is not on relaxing regulation, but on further integrating the crypto market into the mainstream financial system. If the relevant regulations are implemented, Japan’s local market could see the introduction of more standardized investment products, including crypto ETFs.
Japan studies the framework for crypto ETFs
The article also mentions that the Japanese government has signaled support for crypto ETFs. Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato stated that the government is examining the legal framework to allow such products into the domestic market. Although a specific timeline has not been disclosed, the policy direction has become clearer.
SHIB has been integrated into the compliant platform ecosystem.
The article suggests that if Japan continues to expand compliant trading and investment channels, Shiba Inu could be one of the受益 tokens. This is because SHIB has been included on the green list of the Japan Virtual Currency Exchange Association (JVCEA), which typically facilitates a smoother listing process for regulated platforms.
JVCEA added SHIB to its green list in November last year. For the Japanese market, this means SHIB has a regulatory foundation for availability on compliant platforms, rather than being limited to listing on a single exchange.
Mercoin and Rakuten have already provided access.
In addition to the listing factor, SHIB has also reached users through several local Japanese platforms. The article notes that Mercoin, a subsidiary of the Tokyo e-commerce platform Mercari, has begun offering SHIB-related services, expanding its reach among retail users in Japan.
In April this year, Rakuten Wallet, the cryptocurrency trading platform under the Rakuten Group, also launched SHIB. The article states that as SHIB integrates into a broader local payment and consumption ecosystem, its use cases and user reach in Japan have expanded.