Japan’s finance minister says 2026 will be the year of digital assets

Katayama made the remarks during the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s ceremony for the first trading day of the year (daihassai).

She tied digital assets to Japan’s long running push to shift households “from savings to investment.” In her view, commodity and stock exchanges matter if the country wants people to benefit from digital and blockchain based assets through products that feel familiar and are properly regulated. She pointed to the U.S. as an example, where access for everyday investors is increasingly routed through ETFs, and where crypto linked products are sometimes discussed as one way to hedge against inflation.

Katayama added that her ministry is ready to back domestic venues as they upgrade trading systems and roll out instruments tied to digital assets.

Her comments land as Japan debates a tax overhaul for individual crypto investors. The government and the ruling coalition have been considering moving crypto gains into a “separate taxation” bucket and applying a flat 20% rate, similar to how profits on stocks and investment funds are treated.

Today, crypto profits are generally taxed under Japan’s progressive income system, which can reach 55% at the top end. Under the proposal being discussed, the 20% would be split into 15% for the national government and 5% for local governments, with the changes potentially included in the 2026 tax reform package.

Officials are also linking any tax relief to tighter oversight. JVCEA data puts Japan at roughly 8 million active crypto accounts, with September spot volume around ¥1.5 trillion (about $9.6 billion). Regulators have stressed that friendlier taxes need to come with stronger investor protections, especially after the theft of roughly ¥48.2 billion worth of bitcoin from DMM Bitcoin in December 2024.