Crypto regulatory developments are underway in Japan. So far Japan’s strict crypto regulation was hampering the country’s ability to compete on a global level. All that is about to change in a few short months.
According to a Japanese media outlet, on 31 January 2025 Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato promised to finalize the crypto tax rate by the end of June this year. This will relax the crypto tax in Japan, which is much higher than other countries. The aim is to make Japan competitive in the global crypto space and create a positive economic outlook through innovation.
The industry has called for the reform of the crypto asset tax system for a while now. Last year December saw Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party’s Political Advisory Committee approve a proposal that let crypto assets contribute to the national economy. This was done just before the announcement of the 2025 tax reform outline in Japan.
The proposal would see to a separate tax structure for profit and losses made through crypto transactions. Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba recently said that the development of crypto assets and Web3 is extremely important for Japan’s economic outlook.
PM Ishiba emphasized the importance of protecting crypto users and improving the web3 environment in Japan. According to him, cryptocurrency is the answer to solving Japan’s social and financial problems.
Japan PM calls crypto ‘extremely important’ ahead of 2025 crypto tax review
— Toby Motre (@TheMotre) February 3, 2025
“The healthy development of Web 3.0, including crypto assets, is extremely important,” said Ishiba at the House of Representatives Budget Committee.
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Japan’s Crypto Tax Will be Finalized by June 2025
Crypto in Japan falls under the miscellaneous income bracket. Under current circumstances, depending on a person’s income, crypto tax could reach up to 55%. Last year in October, the Democratic Party has proposed a slashing of the crypto tax. As per their proposal, the crypto tax was recommended to be set to 20%
Akihisa Shiozaki, head of Web3 of the Liberal Democratic Party said, “Japan’s crypto asset tax system is stricter than other countries, which is hindering Japan’s competitiveness.” Shiozaki raised this concern while alluding to President Trump’s plan to create a National Bitcoin reserve in the US.
The finance minister revealed that the council was also discussing a change in the legal definition of crypto assets. Crypto assets in Japan are seen as means of payment and not investment instruments. Various stakeholders currently are sharing inputs with the regulators on the matter.
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Momentum Shifts In Favour Of Digital Currency In Japan
While the talks of crypto tax reforms are ongoing, the crypto space in Japan saw a major milestone being achieved. February onwards, a majority of the banks in the country will begin utilizing XRP cryptocurrency for international transactions. Yoshitaka Kitao, CEO of SBI Holdings, a financial services firm in Japan, confirmed this development.
BREAKING: Japan’s entire banking sector is gearing up to adopt #XRP next week! pic.twitter.com/9QB3hCv7PY — Levi | Crypto Crusaders (@LeviRietveld) February 2, 2025
The integration of XRP into the banking sector in Japan allows for enhanced cross border payments and a streamlined currency conversion. This move could potentially position XRP as an important bridge currency within the global financial network.
As adoption rises, this move has the potential to increase XRP’s market capitalization.
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