Japan’s Finance Minister Projects 2026 as ‘Digital Year’ to Integrate Crypto into National Markets

Japan’s Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama has publicly urged the inclusion of crypto assets in the country’s financial system. This is with the backdrop of the continued growth of its footprint in the crypto market.

Finance Minister Declares 2026 the Digital Year for Crypto in Japan

Finance Minister Katayama gave a speech at the annual opening ceremony of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in which she called the year 2026 the “first year of digital.” This signals how the government has now decided to focus on integrating Blockchain-based assets.

Comparing it to the financial markets, she proposed that the Japanese stock market was also likely to break the boundaries it had earlier and rise to new heights.

Katayama emphasized that commodity and stock exchanges are key to make sure that the public accrues benefits from digital and blockchain-based assets.

“The role of commodity and stock exchanges is important for the public to enjoy the benefits of digital assets and blockchain-type assets,” she said.

Katayama referred to developments overseas. She made a comparison with what ETFs are doing in the economy of the United States.

“In the United States, it is spreading as a means of hedging inflation for the people in the form of exchange-traded funds.”

The finance minister ended by stating that she is dedicated to helping local exchanges in the process of adopting new financial technology solutions and making their markets supportive of digital assets.

For example, Japan’s FSA started working on a draft of a new regulatory framework in October 2025, according to which cryptocurrencies would be classified as conventional securities.

This also had rules regarding the prosecution of insider purchases or sales of digital assets using non-public information. As reported, it is expected to come into effect this year.

Japan Targets Major Crypto Tax Reform in 2026

Authorities gave plans to change the structure of capital gains tax for cryptocurrencies in 2026. It reduces the rate from as high as 55% to a flat 20%. The changes will also bring cryptocurrencies, including Ethereum, under the purview of the FSA as a financial product.

More than 100 digital assets that trade on registered markets will be affected by this new framework. However, exemption will still be granted to unregistered digital assets.

The rate at which regulations emerged started sooner. In August 2025, the Japanese FSA initiated work on a taxation and classification system for digital assets. This brought optimism regarding possible ETF listings.

In October of the same year, regulators started weighing banks’ capacity to provide management, as well as sales, for digital assets in addition to traditional assets. During the same month, Japan approved the first stablecoin pegged to the Yen, called JPYC.