Japan’s Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said she fully supports the integration of cryptocurrency trading services by the country’s stock exchanges, while touting 2026 as the “digital year,” according to a report by Japanese cryptocurrency news site Coinpost.
Katayama emphasized that regulated venues will play a central role in expanding cryptocurrency adoption at a ceremony in Tokyo on January 5 to mark the first stock market trading session of the year. “For the public to enjoy the benefits of digital assets and blockchain-type assets, the role of stock and commodity exchanges is important,” he said.
Digital asset trading in Japan remains largely isolated 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 Law and not securities law. However, regulators are now considering moving cryptocurrencies into the securities framework that governs stocks and bonds to better reflect how these assets are used and regulated.
Katayama also pointed to precedent overseas, highlighting how crypto investment products have gained traction in the U.S. “In the U.S., through ETF structures, they have spread as a means of hedging against inflation, and similar efforts are expected in Japan,” he said, pointing to an openness to more conventional crypto investment vehicles.
His comments come as Japan’s Financial Services Agency advances plans to reform cryptocurrency regulation and taxation by fiscal 2026, including proposals to shift cryptocurrency profits into a flatter tax framework and more closely align certain digital assets with traditional financial products. Industry participants have long argued that such reforms are necessary to maintain crypto activity in the country.
“As Finance Minister, I will fully support the efforts of exchanges to develop cutting-edge and technology-based trading environments,” Katayama said, reinforcing the government’s shift from cautious oversight to structured integration.
