Japan’s Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said she fully supports the integration of crypto trading services on the country’s exchanges as she proclaimed 2026 as the “digital year,” according to a report by Japanese crypto news site Coinpost.
Katayama emphasized that regulated venues will play a central role in expanding crypto adoption at a ceremony in Tokyo on January 5 to mark the first exchange trading session of the year. “For the public to enjoy the benefits of digital assets and blockchain assets, the role of stock and commodity exchanges is important,” she said.
Trading of digital assets in Japan remains largely excluded from traditional capital markets. The separation has been a defining feature of Japan’s regulatory approach, as digital assets have long been governed by the Payment Services Act rather than securities laws. However, regulators are now considering moving crypto into the securities framework that governs stocks and bonds to better reflect how these assets are used and regulated
Katayama also pointed to overseas precedent, highlighting how crypto investment products have gained traction in the U.S. “In the U.S., through ETF structures, they have proliferated as a means of hedging against inflation, and similar efforts are expected in Japan,” she said, signaling openness to more mainstream crypto investment instruments.
Her comments come as Japan’s Financial Services Agency advances plans to overhaul crypto regulation and taxation by fiscal year 2026, including proposals to move crypto profits into a flatter tax bracket and align certain digital assets more closely with traditional financial products. Industry participants have long argued that such reforms are necessary to keep crypto activity afloat.
“As finance minister, I will fully support the stock exchanges’ efforts to develop such cutting-edge fintech and technology-enabled trading environments,” Katayama said, reinforcing the government’s shift from cautious oversight toward structured integration.
