Japan’s Lower House Approves Landmark Bill to Regulate Cryptocurrency Like Traditional Stocks

n a major regulatory shift, Japan’s House of Representatives has passed a critical piece of legislation that will transition the country’s cryptocurrency oversight from the Payment Services Act to the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. This sweeping bill officially reclassifies digital assets as financial instruments, effectively aligning their regulatory framework with traditional stocks and other mainstream investment products. Expected to take effect in 2027, the comprehensive new rules aim to foster financial innovation and accommodate the rapidly growing global and domestic demand for digital asset services.

The Financial Services Agency (FSA) announced the passage of the bill on Thursday, attributing the legislative overhaul to cryptocurrency’s swift evolution into a mainstream investment asset. According to recent data cited by the regulator, Japan now boasts over 14 million open crypto accounts, a boom driven primarily by everyday retail users. Individuals earning under 7 million yen (approximately $43,600) per year account for roughly 70% of those accounts, underscoring the widespread adoption of digital assets among low- to middle-income citizens. By classifying crypto as a financial instrument, the incoming framework will introduce lower taxes, enforce stricter trading rules, and pave the way for highly anticipated investment products like crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

To protect this expanding base of retail investors, the landmark legislation introduces strict stock-style insider trading bans, making it illegal for company insiders or exchange employees to trade tokens based on unpublicized material facts, such as upcoming token listings or corporate financial distress. Furthermore, the bill establishes rigorous public disclosure rules requiring projects to clearly publish technical details, token supplies, and financial statements. In an effort to curb speculative risk, regular investors will face a strict investment cap of 2 million yen on token offerings that choose not to undergo an independent audit by an accounting firm.

Finally, the new legal framework significantly escalates the penalties for bad actors and illicit operations within the digital asset space. The maximum prison sentence for anyone operating an unregistered cryptocurrency business will more than triple, jumping from three years to ten years, while corporate fines could spike up to 10 million yen (around $62,800). Additionally, the nation’s securities watchdog will be granted explicit new powers to conduct criminal investigations and petition the courts to freeze illicitly obtained funds. The FSA emphasized that the new rules are carefully calibrated to elevate user protections to the highest standard without stifling the ongoing innovation of the sector.