According to a report by Asahi, the move will place 105 cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin and ether, under new disclosure rules.

Exchanges listing these assets will be required to provide details on key attributes such as whether the token has an identifiable issuer, its underlying blockchain, and its price volatility.

The FSA also intends to introduce measures to curb insider trading, potentially banning issuers and exchange executives from trading crypto assets based on non-public information, including listing schedules, The Block reported.

The proposed changes are expected to be submitted as amendments to Japan’s financial laws during the 2026 ordinary Diet session.

As these 105 digital assets move closer to being treated like traditional financial products, Japanese authorities are also seeking to reduce the tax rate on crypto income to align it with stock investments, lowering it from a maximum of 55% to 20%.

The tax reform will be reviewed in the coming fiscal year, according to Asahi.

Japan, once known for its cautious stance following the Mt. Gox collapse, has begun overhauling its regulatory landscape in an effort to position itself as a regional Web3 hub.

Last month, the FSA was reportedly exploring ways to permit local banks to trade cryptocurrencies in a manner similar to stocks and government bonds.

The agency has also been advancing a yen-pegged stablecoin initiative, with the country’s first local stablecoin, JPYC, launched on 27 October.

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“More local governments want digital nomads because they can stay longer than normal tourists,” Ryo Osera, an executive member of the Japan Digital Nomad Association (JDNA), told the South China Morning Post in a recent interview. “They can also spend lots of money because they [tend to] have high-skilled, professional careers.”

Established in 2022, the JDNA aims to make Japan more welcoming for digital nomads. One of its main initiatives at the moment is to expand Japan’s Digital Nomad Visa program, which currently allows a maximum stay of six months. This duration pales in comparison with other locations like Portugal, Malta, and Dubai, which offer stays for up to one year.

Japan officially launched its Digital Nomad Visa scheme in March 2024. The visa permits holders to live and work remotely from Japan for up to six months, and includes special provisions for accompanying spouses and children.

To apply, applicants must prove that they work remotely for a company or clients outside Japan, and must submit documents about their job, income, and plans during their stay in Japan.

This includes producing documents proving that their annual income is JPY 10 million (US$65,000) or more, such as tax payment certificate, income certificate, employment contract, or contract with a business partner.

They must also present either a detailed stay plan during their stay in Japan, or produce a Certificate of Eligibility issued by a regional immigration bureau.

Finally, they must carry insurance covering death, injury, or illness during their stay, with a minimum medical coverage of JPY 10 million.

Accompanying spouses and children must produce the same documents.

The Digital Nomad Visa cannot be extended and doesn’t come with a residence card. This means that visaholders cannot open a Japanese bank account, sign long-term rental contracts, or register at a city hall. The same restrictions apply to accompanying spouses and children.

Furthermore, the visa is limited to nationals and citizens from a little over 50 countries that have both a visa waiver and a tax treaty with Japan. These countries include most of Europe, North America, as well as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Hong Kong. Spouses and children from over 20 additional countries may also apply, but only as dependents.

Japan: one of the world’s hottest travel destinations

Unlike typical tourists who visit briefly and concentrate their spending in high-traffic tourist zones, digital nomads tend to rent local housing, frequent neighborhood businesses, and integrate into communities. This creates steady incomes for small businesses and helps diversify the local economy beyond seasonal tourism.

Furthermore, digital nomads often choose housing in less touristy areas where they can live and work quietly. This slower and more integrated lifestyle usually aligns better with sustainable development and avoids the short-term strain that mass tourist brings.

Over the past five years, Japan has grown into one of the world’s hottest travel destinations. The country was voted the number one country in the world by the readers of Condé Nast Traveler in the magazine’s 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards for the third consecutive year. Tokyo (#1) and Kyoto (#2) was voted the top two best “Large Cities” in the world, with Tokyo leading the list for the second year in a row.

Between January and August 2025, more than 28 million foreign visitors arrived in the country, marking a 17% increase from about 24 million a year prior, according to Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO). The estimated number of international travelers to Japan in August 2025 was 3,428,000, representing a 16.9% year-over-year (YoY) increase.

Breaking down the number of foreign visitors to Japan in August 2025 by country and region, China ranked first with 1,018,600 visitors in August 2025, followed by South Korea with 660,900 visitors, and Taiwan with 620,700 visitors.

Overtourism in Japan

This surge in international tourism has led to made inbound travel a key pillar of Japan’s economy. Inbound tourism is now the country’s second-largest export sector behind automobiles, with spending by foreign visitors reaching an annualized JPY 7.2 trillion (US$47 billion) for the period between January and March 2024.

However, this rapid increase in tourism has also led to highly concentrated tourism in a handful of prefectures. This over-concentration of tourists has negatively impacted residents’ daily lives, leading to issues including congestion, overcrowded transport, noise pollution, and waste management.

To address these challenges, Japanese lawmakers are currently considering hiking the departure tax from JPY 1,000 (US$6.5) per person to JPY 3,000 yen (US$20), NHK, the Japan Broadcasting Corporation, reported earlier this week.

Introduced in 2019, the departure tax, formally called the International Tourist Tax, is levied on all travelers leaving Japan, including Japanese citizens. It’s collected as a fee added to the prices of tickets for airlines and other forms of transportation.

Some members of the Japanese government and ruling party have proposed that increased revenue from the tax hike be used to address the challenges caused by overtourism, such as transportation congestion and disruptive behavior by some foreign tourists.

Lawmakers are expected to begin discussions on the tax reform in fiscal 2026 with the focus on whether the tax should be raised and by how much.

Japan is one of the many countries in Asia to have introduced a special visa scheme for digital nomads and remote workers, joining Thailand, Indonesia, and South Korea, among others.

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The proposal was discussed on 7 November by a working group of the Financial System Council, an advisory body to the Prime Minister.

The move aims to strengthen measures to ensure system stability following a series of crypto asset thefts.

According to Nikkei, current regulations require crypto exchange operators to implement proper management systems, such as storing customer assets in “cold wallets” that are not connected to the internet.

However, system providers themselves are not currently subject to direct regulation.

Under the proposed framework, only systems from registered providers would be permitted for use.

The reform follows incidents such as the 2024 theft of ¥48.2 billion worth of Bitcoin from DMM Bitcoin.

The company had outsourced transaction management to Tokyo-based software firm Ginco, whose system was infiltrated by a hacker group.

Many council members expressed support for the new approach, noting that outsourcing limits the accountability of exchange operators and highlighting the need to clarify what additional measures should be required.

The FSA will compile a report based on these discussions, with plans to submit a bill to amend the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act to the ordinary Diet session in 2026.

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JPXI has developed J-WS, JPX’s common infrastructure platform, on AWS.

The platform supports the stable operation of JPX Group’s data and digital services while improving operational quality and functionality through AWS’s advanced cloud technologies.

As part of its ongoing digital transformation, JPXI will migrate the Timely Disclosure Network (TDnet) to J-WS.

TDnet plays a critical role in transmitting material corporate information swiftly and accurately to the market and investors. By moving this semi-essential system, second only to JPX’s trading and clearing system, to J-WS, JPXI aims to enhance system stability, resilience, and cybersecurity.

The migration will incorporate a multi-layered redundant configuration utilising both JPX’s existing Business Continuity Plan (BCP) environment and AWS’s Asia Pacific (Tokyo) and Asia Pacific (Osaka) Regions, significantly strengthening resilience against large-scale disruptions.

JPXI is collaborating with Fujitsu Limited to upgrade TDnet’s infrastructure and functionality.

This includes improving performance and processing capacity for disclosure materials.

To support listed companies facing increasing disclosure requirements, JPXI is also developing a new service using AWS’s generative AI to assist in preparing disclosure documents.

Future plans include a dedicated platform to securely connect JPX’s exchanges and listed companies, facilitating seamless information management and enhanced support.

JPXI also plans to enhance the transmission speed and machine readability of disclosure data and make it accessible through APIs to external platforms.

This will help build an ecosystem where financial institutions, information vendors, and startups can collaborate to develop new value-added services using a common data infrastructure.

With support from the AWS engineering team, including AWS Prototyping and AWS Professional Services, JPXI has strengthened its internal development capabilities and nurtured digital talent.

This approach has enabled the rapid delivery of key projects, such as the Carbon Credit Market System, developed with Hitachi, and J-LAKE, JPX’s integrated data services platform.

JPXI has also utilised AWS’s data analytics tools to improve the way market information is disseminated.

Built on J-WS, J-LAKE consolidates JPX’s market and alternative data, enabling advanced analysis using AI, machine learning, and generative AI.

A new feature on the JPxData Portal now allows users to efficiently search for disclosure materials and identify investment opportunities.

Satoshi Futagi, President and CEO of JPX Market Innovation & Research, said:

“In its long-term vision ‘Target 2030,’ JPX expressed its intention to turn into a global, comprehensive finance and information platform, and it has been working to enhance the appeal of Japan’s financial and capital markets as a whole. JPXI, whose role within the JPX Group is to spearhead the group’s next-generation data and digital businesses, has collaborated with AWS to build several new systems to support these businesses.”

Scott Mullins, Managing Director, Worldwide Financial Services at AWS, said:

“AWS’s experience supporting financial institutions, combined with its advanced capabilities in generative AI, machine learning, and high-performance computing, enables JPX to deliver greater innovation through their data and digital initiatives. Together, we’re working to make Japan’s capital markets more efficient and transparent.”

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Running from April 2026 to March 2029, the MoU outlines a plan to use data-driven insights to attract new customers, refine marketing strategies, and explore new communication channels to engage inbound travellers to Japan.

The collaboration includes joint campaigns and co-marketing initiatives aimed at improving customer experience and encouraging greater use of JCB cards.

“We are proud to partner with Agoda to deliver greater benefits to JCB cardmembers,”

said Masaki Yokawa, President and CEO of JCB International.

“This partnership enables us to share timely, relevant information that aligns with customers’ travel plans, making their journeys more rewarding.”

JCB cardmembers will gain access to exclusive discounts and offers on Agoda in key markets including Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, the Philippines, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and India.

Current promotions provide up to 12% off hotel bookings through dedicated Agoda pages.

In early 2025, Japan was Agoda’s most searched destination, with a 35% rise in searches, reflecting sustained interest in travel to the country.

“Agoda and JCB share a commitment to making travel more rewarding and accessible for customers across Asia,”

said Damien Pfirsch, Chief Commercial Officer of Agoda.

“By combining Agoda’s technology and reach with JCB’s strong brand and customer base, we aim to enhance inbound travel to Japan and deliver meaningful benefits to travellers.”

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The collaboration aims to combine Stripe’s payment infrastructure with NEC’s facial recognition technology, known for its high authentication accuracy*, to enable secure, hands-free payments and improve customer convenience.

The face recognition payment experience will be demonstrated using the Stripe Reader S700 at the Singapore Fintech Festival from 12 to 14 November.

Stripe Terminal is a unified commerce solution that connects in-store and online payments through a single platform, offering real-time customer insights across channels.

Available in 25 countries, the Wi-Fi-enabled Stripe Reader S700 supports both countertop and handheld use and is designed for ease of operation.

“Through this collaboration, Stripe is proud to support NEC’s world-renowned face recognition technology, enabling its use for payments through our unified commerce solution, Stripe Terminal,”

said Daniel Heffernan, Product Lead of Stripe Japan.

“By taking this step, we aim to enhance the shopping experience for consumers around the world.”

“NEC is confident that the advanced customisability of the unified commerce solution Stripe Terminal will help to address a wide range of challenges in face-to-face payment scenarios,”

said Kazuhisa Shimizu, Corporate Senior Vice President and Managing Director of NEC’s Financial Solutions Division.

“By combining NEC’s face recognition technology with Stripe’s global payment platform, we aim to provide a new payment experience and create a world where everyone can safely and conveniently use digital technology.”

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The venture aims to provide “Crystal intelligence,” an enterprise AI solution designed to improve management and operational efficiency across Japanese companies.

SB OAI Japan will integrate OpenAI’s technology with local implementation and system integration services to deliver Crystal intelligence exclusively in Japan, with commercial availability expected in 2026.

SoftBank Corp. will be the first to adopt the solution, testing its application in product development and business transformation before offering it to other organisations.

The venture builds on SoftBank’s ongoing shift towards becoming an AI-driven group, with employees already using around 2.5 million custom GPTs for internal operations.

Insights from these initiatives will inform the rollout of Crystal intelligence.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, said:

“This joint venture with SoftBank is an important step that will accelerate our vision for bringing advanced AI to some of the world’s most influential companies, starting with Japan.”

Masayoshi Son, Chairman and CEO of SoftBank Group Corp., said:

“This marks the start of a new era of innovation that will transform how people work and businesses are managed. Together with OpenAI, we’re driving the AI revolution to the next stage.”

Through SB OAI Japan, the partners aim to support the broader adoption of AI in Japan’s corporate sector.

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The deal represents a total enterprise value of approximately US$2.9 billion (JPY438.5 billion), including debt.

The transaction price reflects a 17.38% premium over CSG’s closing share price of US$68.75 on 28 October, and a 23.07% premium to the 30-day volume-weighted average price (VWAP) of CSG common stock for the period ending on the same date.

According to both firms, the acquisition aims to strengthen NEC’s position in next-generation digital solutions and accelerate innovation in artificial intelligence and cloud-based technologies across various industries.

The integration will combine NEC’s software and digital transformation capabilities with CSG’s software-as-a-service (SaaS) portfolio and global customer base.

CSG’s SaaS products and established presence in sectors such as communications, media, financial services, healthcare, retail, and logistics will complement NEC’s existing operations and those of its subsidiary, Netcracker Technology.

Netcracker specialises in Business Support Systems (BSS) and Operational Support Systems (OSS), areas that align closely with CSG’s expertise.

The transaction is expected to close during the 2026 calendar year.

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JPYC, a Japanese startup, began issuing the stablecoins, also called JPYC, which are fully convertible to the yen and backed by domestic savings and Japanese government bonds (JGBs), Reuters reported.

The company plans to issue up to ¥10 trillion (US$66 billion) worth of JPYC over three years, with ambitions for the digital asset to gain international use.

To encourage adoption, JPYC will initially waive transaction fees, instead earning revenue from interest on JGB Holdings.

“We hope to spur innovation by giving startups access to low transaction and settlement fees,”

said CEO Noritaka Okabe.

“Increasing global interoperability would benefit us too, so we’re open to capital tie-ups.”

Blockchain-based stablecoins are typically pegged to fiat currencies and enable faster, cheaper transactions. US dollar-pegged stablecoins dominate the market, accounting for more than 99% of global supply.

Tomoyuki Shimoda, a former Bank of Japan executive and Rikkyo University academic, said yen stablecoins are unlikely to see the same traction as dollar-backed ones.

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As part of the initiative, the Digital Agency will introduce Gennai, a new AI tool powered by OpenAI’s technology, for use by government employees to explore innovative public sector applications.

OpenAI has also contributed to a pilot programme launched by the OECD and the G7 to monitor the Hiroshima AI Process, led by the Japanese government.

The Hiroshima AI Process Comprehensive Policy Framework is the first international policy framework comprising guidelines and codes of conduct that promote the adoption of safe, secure, and trustworthy advanced AI systems.

It extends beyond the G7 to include governments, the private sector, academia, and civil society in Asian countries and emerging economies, supporting inclusive international governance of AI.

In line with Japanese government policies, OpenAI will also explore initiatives that support secure and reliable AI use in government, including efforts to obtain ISMAP (Information system Security Management and Assessment Program) certification.

Going forward, OpenAI stated it will continue to focus on safety, transparency, and international cooperation, and aims to deepen its partnerships with the Japanese government, local authorities, educational institutions, industry, and users to promote the responsible and sustainable use of GenAI in society.

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