Yes. Nothing we read bans residents from buying, holding or trading crypto, but only a business registered with the Financial Services Agency (FSA) may run an exchange for them, and the rulebook is about to move from payments law to securities law.

The FSA’s register carries the state’s own warnings: crypto-assets are not legal tender, their prices can plummet, and exchange service providers need to be registered with the FSA and a Local Finance Bureau. Until now that registration has come from the Payment Services Act. A bill to move crypto into the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act (FIEA) was submitted to the Diet on 10 April 2026 and enacted on 15 July 2026. The FSA’s page lists the dates but not when it takes effect; the tax accountants’ association says the date is set by Cabinet order within a year of promulgation, which it puts at 23 July 2026. The FIEA route brings insider trading rules and issuer disclosure, and press reports on the bill say the maximum penalty for running an exchange without registration rises to 10 years in prison and ¥10 million. Regulators, products and tax are covered in the sections below.

Which crypto exchanges work in Japan?

Two of the exchanges we track serve Japan through an FSA-registered local company: Binance and Gate. Bitstamp and Crypto.com serve residents with no registration on file, and MEXC and KuCoin do so despite FSA warnings.

The FSA register of 30 September 2026 lists 27 registered providers, 25 supervised by the Kanto Finance Bureau and 2 by the Kinki Finance Bureau (Zaif and Gaia). The newest entry is Laser Digital Japan, registered on 21 August 2026. Domestic names on it include bitFlyer, Coincheck, bitbank, GMO Coin, SBI VC Trade and Rakuten Wallet. None of those is in our platform set, which tracks international platforms.

Table of the exchanges that serve Japanese residents. Binance: Binance Japan Inc., registered with the FSA; Gate: Gate Japan K.K., registered with the FSA. Bitstamp and Crypto.com serve residents with no FSA registration on file and close derivatives; MEXC and KuCoin serve residents unregistered and are on the FSA list of warned unregistered businesses. The FSA register of 30 September 2026 lists 27 registered providers.

Binance serves Japan as Binance Japan Inc., registered on 14 October 2022 (formerly SAKURA Exchange BitCoin), and moved global accounts to it from August 2023 with a reduced product set. Gate serves Japan through Gate Japan, also on the register; global Gate lists Japan as restricted, so the local company is the only route. Coinbase is a special case: Coinbase Co., Ltd. is still on the register, but the company halted its Japanese business in January 2023 and handles no crypto assets there.

The exchanges below are not registered. The FSA’s warning list names MEXC (March 2023 and November 2024) and KuCoin (November 2024), though Japan is not named among the restricted locations in KuCoin’s terms of use. Bitstamp and Crypto.com are on neither the register nor the warning list, and both close derivatives to Japan. A firm that serves residents without registering sits outside the protections the regime exists to give, so treat an open sign-up page as a risk, not a permission.

Best crypto platforms for Japanese residents

By our access score, Gate (8.5 out of 10) and Binance (7.3) are the most open exchanges for Japanese residents, Jupiter, Lighter, PancakeSwap and Uniswap (8.0 each) are the most open DeFi platforms and Kalshi (8.0) is the only prediction market open to new positions.

The score rates how fully a Japanese resident can use each platform, not its fees or safety. It is computed from our data and moves when a row changes: access status (4 points), the share of the platform’s products open here (3), the Japan licences we hold on file (2) and what our geo-access test saw from a Japanese address (1). Platforms that refuse Japanese residents are not scored. The full method is on our methodology page.

Exchanges

  1. Gate

    Best for A registered local company for spot trading

    8.5/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    1/2
    Our test
    0.5/1

    Pros

    • Gate Japan is on the FSA register of 30 September 2026

    Cons

    • Global Gate lists Japan as restricted, so only the local company serves residents
    Read our Gate report

  2. Binance

    Best for A registered local company with a reduced product set

    7.3/10
    Access
    3/4
    Products
    2.3/3
    Licences
    1/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Binance Japan Inc. has been FSA-registered since 14 October 2022
    • Global accounts were moved to it from August 2023

    Cons

    • Fewer products than Binance.com offers elsewhere
    Read our Binance report

  3. Crypto.com

    Best for Spot trading in the app

    6.3/10
    Access
    3.5/4
    Products
    1.8/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Spot trading and the App are offered
    • Not on the FSA warning list

    Cons

    • Japan is on its derivatives geo-restrictions list
    • No FSA registration on file
    Read our Crypto.com report

  4. KuCoin

    Best for Spot access outside the registered set

    6.3/10
    Access
    3/4
    Products
    2.3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Japan is not on its restricted-locations list

    Cons

    • The FSA warned it in November 2024
    • Apple pulled its app in February 2025
    Read our KuCoin report

  5. MEXC

    Best for Spot access outside the registered set

    6.3/10
    Access
    3/4
    Products
    2.3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Japan is not on its restricted list

    Cons

    • The FSA warned it in 2023 and 2024
    • Its app is not offered in Japan
    Read our MEXC report

  6. Bitstamp

    Best for Plain spot trading

    5.3/10
    Access
    3.5/4
    Products
    0.8/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Spot trading is not excluded for Japan

    Cons

    • No derivatives, Earn staking or Earn lending in Japan
    • No FSA registration on file
    Read our Bitstamp report

Prediction markets

  1. Kalshi

    Best for The one prediction market open to new positions

    8.0/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Japan is not on its restricted-jurisdictions list

    Cons

    • No Japanese licence, and no regulator statement on prediction markets
    Read our Kalshi report

DeFi

  1. Jupiter

    Best for Solana swaps from your own wallet

    8.0/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Japan is not named in its terms

    Cons

    • No Japan licence on file
    Read our Jupiter report

  2. Lighter

    Best for Perpetuals on its main app

    8.0/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Japan is not named in its terms

    Cons

    • No Japan licence on file
    Read our Lighter report

  3. PancakeSwap

    Best for BNB Chain swaps and pools

    8.0/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Japan is not excluded by its terms

    Cons

    • No Japan licence on file
    Read our PancakeSwap report

  4. Uniswap

    Best for Swapping tokens from your own wallet

    8.0/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Its terms bar only places under comprehensive US sanctions

    Cons

    • No Japan licence on file
    Read our Uniswap report

  5. Aster

    Best for Perpetuals and spot trading

    5.9/10
    Access
    3/4
    Products
    1.9/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Perpetuals and spot are not barred

    Cons

    • Prediction trading is barred under its prediction rules
    Read our Aster report

  6. Hyperliquid

    Best for Perpetuals from your own wallet

    5.9/10
    Access
    3/4
    Products
    1.9/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Perpetuals and spot are not excluded by its terms

    Cons

    • The trading app hides outcome markets in Japan
    Read our Hyperliquid report

Which platforms block Japan users?

Eight exchanges (Coinbase, Kraken, Bybit, OKX, Gemini, Bitget, HTX and Bitfinex) and one prediction market (Polymarket) refuse Japanese residents in their own terms or notices.

Three of these are exits, not old blocks. Bybit finished closing its services to Japanese residents on 22 July 2026, leaving accounts able only to convert and withdraw. Bitget stopped new Japan registrations on 3 August 2026, applies account restrictions from 1 November and closes remaining positions from 31 December. Coinbase and Kraken both left in January 2023, and Kraken also deregistered with the FSA.

Platforms that refuse Japanese residentsPick one to see what its terms say
PlatformStatusTypeWhat the terms sayJapan option
CoinbaseRestrictedExchangeHalted its Japanese business in January 2023; withdrawals closed on 16 February 2023–
KrakenRestrictedExchangeOn Kraken’s do-not-serve list since it closed its Japanese business and deregistered in January 2023–
BybitRestrictedExchangeClosure for Japanese residents completed on 22 July 2026; convert and withdraw only–
OKXRestrictedExchangeOn the restricted-locations list in OKX’s risk and compliance notice (updated 8 July 2026)–
GeminiRestrictedExchangeNot on Gemini’s lists of supported countries–
BitgetRestrictedExchangeOn the prohibited-countries list; no new registrations since 3 August 2026–
HTXRestrictedExchangeOn HTX’s OTC restricted list; not named in the current user agreement–
BitfinexRestrictedExchangeProhibits Japanese persons, except Japanese exchanges trading for themselves–
PolymarketRestrictedPrediction marketClose-only: existing positions can be closed, no new ones opened–

Source: platform terms and notices, verified 17 October 2026. What each site showed us is in the next section.

What our geo-access test saw from Japan

From a Japanese address on 14 and 16 October 2026 we loaded all 22 platforms we track: 4 refused us, 3 showed a notice and 15 loaded with no barrier.

An open page is not permission. Kraken, Bitget and HTX loaded although their terms or notices close Japan, because most platforms enforce at identity verification rather than at the page. Bybit refused the sign-up, OKX refused its home page, Gemini’s sign-up said it does not operate in Japan, and Polymarket’s geoblock check returned blocked. The three notices were Coinbase, Gate and Bitfinex. Swipe through the screenshots below; each card quotes what the page showed.

What each platform showed us from hereScreenshots from our geo-access test, 14 Oct 2026 and 16 Oct 2026. Scroll sideways or use the arrows.
Sign-up page of Gemini loaded from Japan: Japan, never on Gemini's list, refused in the same way

BlockedGemini · Sign-up page

Japan, never on Gemini's list, refused in the same way

“Gemini does not currently operate in Japan.”

16 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

Home page of OKX loaded from Japan: The same block from a Japanese address

BlockedOKX · Home page

The same block from a Japanese address

“OKX Exchange is currently not available in Japan due to local laws and regulations.”

14 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

Sign-up page of Bitfinex loaded from Japan: Japan: a bilingual notice that new registrations are closed

Notice shownBitfinex · Sign-up page

Japan: a bilingual notice that new registrations are closed

“Bitfinex is not permitting Japanese residents to sign-up for new Accounts.”

16 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

Sign-up page of Gate loaded from Japan: Japan: a banner pointing to Gate Japan, the registered local exchange

Notice shownGate · Sign-up page

Japan: a banner pointing to Gate Japan, the registered local exchange

“It seems that you're accessing our website from the JP region.”

16 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

Sign-up page of Bitget loaded from Japan: Japan is prohibited and closing, but the sign-up page loaded with no notice

No barrierBitget · Sign-up page

Japan is prohibited and closing, but the sign-up page loaded with no notice

14 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

Home page of Bitstamp loaded from Japan: Japan, where futures, staking and lending are cut, sees no product notice

No barrierBitstamp · Home page

Japan, where futures, staking and lending are cut, sees no product notice

16 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

Sign-up page of HTX loaded from Japan: No notice from Japan

No barrierHTX · Sign-up page

No notice from Japan

16 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

Trading app of Jupiter loaded from Japan: Japan: no banner, no notice

No barrierJupiter · Trading app

Japan: no banner, no notice

16 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

Sign-up page of Kraken loaded from Japan: Japan is on Kraken's do-not-serve list, yet the sign-up form loads

No barrierKraken · Sign-up page

Japan is on Kraken's do-not-serve list, yet the sign-up form loads

“Create an account”

14 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

Trading app of PancakeSwap loaded from Japan: Japan: the swap page loads

No barrierPancakeSwap · Trading app

Japan: the swap page loads

16 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

CRYPTORESTRICTIONS

Who regulates crypto in Japan?

The FSA registers and supervises crypto businesses and writes the rules, the Japan Virtual and Crypto assets Exchange Association (JVCEA) is the industry’s self-regulatory body, and the National Tax Agency (NTA) and Ministry of Finance (MOF) set how crypto is taxed and reported.

Timeline in five lanes. FSA rules, 10 December 2025: Working group report (Move to securities law). FSA rules, 10 April 2026: Bill to the Diet (FIEA and PSA). Diet, 15 July 2026: Act passed (Crypto under the FIEA). Diet, 23 July 2026: Law promulgated (In force by order). FSA lists, 28 November 2024: Offshore warnings (KuCoin, Bybit, MEXC, Bitget). FSA lists, 30 September 2026: Register: 27 (Registered providers). App stores, 7 February 2025: Apps blocked (FSA asked Apple and Google). NTA and MOF, Dec 2025: Crypto tax FAQ (Reissued). NTA and MOF, 1 January 2026: CARF in force (Reports from 2027).

  • FSA. Registers exchange service providers, through the Kanto and Kinki Finance Bureaus, and publishes the list of unregistered businesses it has warned. Its Working Group on Crypto-asset Systems published its report on 10 December 2025, proposing the move to the securities law, and the bill followed in April 2026.
  • JVCEA. Describes itself as the self-regulatory body for crypto-asset exchange, electronic payment instrument, fund transfer and crypto-asset derivatives businesses. Its site publishes rulebooks and guidelines, handles disputes and announces newly handled and discontinued tokens. It lists business, business-preparation and supporting members, but no member total on the pages we read.
  • Enforcement on offshore firms. The FSA’s list shows warnings in March 2023 to Bitget, MEXC and Bybit and in November 2024 to KuCoin, Bybit, MEXC and Bitget, among others. On 7 February 2025 The Block reported that the FSA asked Apple and Google to block five of these exchanges’ apps and that Apple had removed them. On 26 March 2026 Cointelegraph reported a further FSA warning to KuCoin for soliciting over-the-counter derivatives without FIEA registration.
  • FIEA. The 2026 Act moves crypto to the securities law. Its effective date is set by Cabinet order and was not stated on the FSA page.
  • NTA and MOF. Covered in the tax section.

Which crypto products are limited in Japan?

Derivatives are the most closed product: Bitstamp and Crypto.com both close them to Japan, and the FSA has warned KuCoin for offering them without registration.

Status matrix of four products across ten platforms that serve Japanese residents, where the platform offers the product. Spot trading: Binance limited, Gate available, Bitstamp available, Crypto.com available, MEXC limited, KuCoin limited, Uniswap available, Hyperliquid available, Aster available. Derivatives: Binance not confirmed, Gate not confirmed, Bitstamp restricted, Crypto.com restricted, MEXC not confirmed, KuCoin not confirmed, Hyperliquid available, Aster available. Staking: Binance not confirmed, Bitstamp restricted, Hyperliquid not confirmed, Aster not confirmed. Prediction markets: Crypto.com not confirmed, Hyperliquid restricted, Aster restricted, Kalshi available.

  • Spot trading. Offered at every platform that serves Japan. Binance Japan offers a reduced product set against Binance.com.
  • Derivatives. Bitstamp says derivatives trading is not available to customers in Japan, and Crypto.com lists Japan among its derivatives geo-restrictions. Hyperliquid and Aster load perpetuals in our test and do not exclude Japan in their terms. JVCEA names crypto-asset derivatives businesses among those it oversees, so a firm that offers them to residents falls under the FSA’s rules.
  • Staking and lending. Bitstamp does not offer Earn staking or Earn lending in Japan. For other platforms we hold no Japan-specific source.
  • Prediction markets. Covered in the next section.

No licensed route exists that we found. Japan’s Penal Code treats gambling as an offence, we found no FSA or police statement on prediction markets, Polymarket is close-only for Japan and Kalshi is the one platform that does not list it.

Status of four platforms with prediction markets for Japan: Polymarket restricted (close-only, no new positions), Kalshi available (not on its restricted-jurisdictions list), Hyperliquid restricted (outcome markets tab hidden in our test), Aster restricted (prediction trading barred by its rules). Beside it, what the Penal Code sets for gambling according to a law firm summary: a fine of up to 500,000 yen for gambling once under Article 185, up to 3 years in prison for habitual gambling under Article 186, and 3 months to 5 years for running a gambling place. No prediction market is licensed in Japan, we found no regulator statement on them, Polymarket is close-only on its website and Kalshi is not on its restricted list.

A law firm summary of the Penal Code puts the penalty for gambling once under Article 185 at a fine of up to ¥500,000, habitual gambling under Article 186 at up to 3 years in prison and running a gambling place at 3 months to 5 years, with public lotteries and authorised racing excepted. We could not read the statute itself, and we found no court ruling or agency statement that classes event contracts as gambling or as financial products, so their status is unsettled rather than settled either way.

On the platform side, Polymarket lists Japan as close-only: existing positions can be closed but no new ones opened. Kalshi does not list Japan among its restricted jurisdictions and its site loaded in our test, but that is a platform’s choice, not a licence. Hyperliquid hid its outcome markets tab in our test and Aster bars prediction trading under its prediction rules.

How is crypto taxed in Japan?

Crypto gains are miscellaneous income added to your other income and taxed at progressive national rates from 5% to 45%, plus local taxes. A flat rate of about 20% is planned, reported to start on 1 January 2028.

Column chart of Japan national income tax rates by band of taxable income: 5% up to 1.95 million yen, 10% to 3.3 million, 20% to 6.95 million, 23% to 9 million, 33% to 18 million, 40% to 40 million and 45% above 40 million yen. Key facts: crypto gains are miscellaneous income added to other income, a flat rate of about 20% is planned with a reported start on 1 January 2028, losses are planned to carry forward for 3 years, and crypto-asset service providers report under the OECD Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework from 2027, filing by 30 April. Resident tax and the 2.1% reconstruction surtax come on top of the national rate.

The bands are the national rates on the NTA rates page (law as of 1 April 2026), and a 2.1% reconstruction surtax on the tax calculated comes on top. The NTA’s crypto FAQ, reissued in December 2025, comes with calculation sheets for the two accepted cost methods, the moving average and the total average. Under the rules in the FAQ a swap of one crypto for another counts as a sale and a purchase, so it is taxed, and a loss on crypto cannot be set against other income. The tax accountants’ association puts the top combined rate today at about 55.9%.

The reform is not in force yet. The association’s summary of the FY2026 tax reform says gains on specified crypto assets will move to a separate taxation at a flat 20.315% (15% income tax and 5% resident tax, plus the surtax on the income tax part), with losses carried forward for 3 years if you keep filing. It applies to trades from 1 January of the year after the FIEA amendment takes effect, which it expects to be 2028. Only specified assets handled by registered operators qualify, so trades on minor overseas exchanges or directly on decentralised exchanges stay under the progressive rates. We read this from the association’s summary, not the outline itself, so check it against the final cabinet orders. Reporting is also changing: the NTA’s CARF page shows the OECD Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework in effect from 1 January 2026, with providers reporting by 30 April from 2027. Working out your own position takes four steps:

Working out your crypto tax in JapanFor an individual, from the NTA FAQ
StepDetail
Pick a cost methodMoving average or total average, and use it consistently
Count every sale and swapSelling, spending and swapping one crypto for another are all taxable events
Total the year’s gainsNet gains are miscellaneous income; a loss cannot offset other income
File a return if neededSalaried staff generally file once income outside their job exceeds ¥200,000

Source: NTA crypto FAQ, checked 17 October 2026.