japan

According to on-chain data monitored by Catcher Predict, significant capital movements are predicted in the Polymarket market. A large whale invested $62,604.81 in the "Brazil vs Japan - More Markets" event, specifically on "O/U 2.5". Based on the current transaction price, the latest corresponding winning probability for this bet is 57%.

FameEX Exchange, which just celebrated its 8th anniversary, will hold a side event, AI Agents Night, with GAEA Ventures during Tokyo WebX 2026.Today, AI Agents are evolving from conversational models into on-chain autonomous executors, handling intent parsing, multi-step transactions, and dynamic asset allocation. This event will bring together Web3 founders, investors, and developers to discuss the future of cross-ecosystem collaboration and AI-driven trading architecture.

The Ministry of Commerce of China announced that it has included 20 entities, including the Japan Defense Research Institute and Mitsubishi Electric Defense and Space Systems Corporation, in the "Control List" for dual-use items export, and has placed another 20 entities, including Mitsui E&S Holdings, on the "Watch List."According to the regulations, China will completely prohibit the export or transfer of dual-use items originating from China to entities on the "Control List"; for entities on the "Watch List," strict end-use reviews will be implemented, and any export applications related to military use will be rejected. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce stated that this move aims to safeguard national security and curb Japan's trend of "remilitarization," and the relevant measures only target a small number of specific entities' dual-use items, without affecting normal economic and trade exchanges between China and Japan.

According to BBX data, last weekend Japan's largest financial group completed the most important cryptocurrency acquisition, and U.S. bipartisan senators launched a new regulatory offensive against prediction market platforms. The core developments are as follows:SBI Holdings, Inc. (Tokyo Stock Exchange: 8473) announced the acquisition of the Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Bitbank (privately held) for approximately $289 million. After the transaction is completed, SBI's cryptocurrency business will surpass all competitors, creating Japan's largest cryptocurrency exchange. SBI Holdings is one of Japan's largest independent financial services groups, already owning cryptocurrency-friendly network bank SBI Shinsei Bank, cryptocurrency asset custodian SBI Digital Asset Holdings, and multiple Bitcoin mining and cryptocurrency venture capital investments. Bitbank is one of Japan's largest spot BTC exchanges and holds an official cryptocurrency exchange license from the Financial Services Agency (FSA) of Japan. This acquisition marks a shift for traditional Japanese financial institutions from "strategic trial" in the cryptocurrency sector to "scale acquisition dominance," alongside the joint stablecoin plan of the three major banks: Mitsubishi UFJ ($MUFG), Sumitomo Mitsui ($SMFG), and Mizuho ($MFG) (targeting March 2027), forming the most intensive wave of cryptocurrency layout in Japan's financial industry by 2026.U.S. Senators John Curtis (Republican, Utah) and Adam Schiff (Democrat, California) reported on June 28 that they jointly sent a letter to the CFTC, urging it to conduct a formal investigation into the prediction market platform Polymarket (privately held), citing a "concerning" investigative report regarding Polymarket's "deceptive marketing" practices, which accused it of systematic misleading in user acquisition and risk disclosure. This is the third regulatory offensive against prediction market platforms initiated by Congress this year (previously, the House Oversight Committee launched an insider trading investigation on May 22); the two senators come from different parties, which is significant. For Robinhood Markets, Inc. (NASDAQ: $HOOD), this investigation poses indirect pressure—Robinhood's prediction market/event contract business (which achieved a record daily trading volume in June) faces the same regulatory qualitative disputes as Polymarket; however, Robinhood's defensive advantage lies in its ongoing application for a CFTC Designated Contract Market (DCM) license, providing a clearer compliance path compared to Polymarket.

According to on-chain data monitored by Catcher Predict, significant capital movements are predicted in the market Polymarket. A large whale invested $112,000 in "Japan" during the "Japan vs. Sweden" event. Based on the current transaction price, the latest corresponding winning probability for this target is 56%.

According to CoinDesk, stablecoin issuer Circle and Japanese financial giant Nomura Holdings have announced a partnership, with plans to launch corporate digital asset payment settlement services in Japan as early as 2027.Under the cooperation agreement, Japanese companies can use the platform to exchange yen for USDC for scenarios such as cross-border supplier payments, fund transfers between overseas affiliates, and foreign exchange settlements. The average daily trading volume in Japan's foreign exchange market reaches up to $440 billion, while traditional bank wire transfers typically take 2 to 3 business days to settle, and blockchain solutions are expected to significantly shorten this time.Previously, the Financial Services Agency of Japan approved the use of USDC among Japanese companies under updated payment regulations, making it the first globally recognized dollar stablecoin authorized to conduct corporate business locally. Circle will operate the related network through its local branch Circle Japan, which has previously collaborated with SBI Holdings to carry out USDC distribution business.

According to Jinshi reports, the USD/JPY briefly touched 161.941, then quickly fell back 20 points, currently reported at 161.84.

According to Nikkei News, SBI Group announced the acquisition of the Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Bitbank for 46.7 billion yen (approximately 289 million USD). Through this acquisition, SBI's cryptocurrency custody balance is expected to exceed 1 trillion yen (about 6.2 billion USD), making it the largest cryptocurrency business in Japan. A subsidiary of SBI Holdings will acquire shares of Bitbank from individual shareholders, including the founders, in August, and then Bitbank will acquire shares held by existing shareholders Mixi and Ceres by the end of October. Combining the account data from SBI VC Trade (as of April), the total number of accounts after the merger is approximately 2.92 million, with total managed assets of about 1.1 trillion yen. SBI Holdings disclosed in May that it is negotiating capital business cooperation for the subsidiary status of Bitbank.

According to official news, Ripple and SBI Holdings announced that the RLUSD stablecoin has officially launched in Japan and received approval from the Financial Services Agency of Japan, opening up to institutional and retail users through the VCTRADE platform of SBI VC Trade. RLUSD is classified as a new type of electronic payment tool under Japan's Payment Services Act, designed to meet the safety and regulatory standards for foreign-issued stablecoins. Jack McDonald, Senior Vice President of Ripple's stablecoin division, stated that this launch is an important step in expanding access to regulated US dollar stablecoins for Japanese financial institutions and businesses, with RLUSD serving as a bridge for payments, tokenization, and collateral management.

Japan's financial group SBI Holdings announced the official issuance of the yen stablecoin JPYSC, with the first issuance completed. This stablecoin is managed by SBI Shinsei Trust Bank for reserve asset management, while the licensed cryptocurrency trading platform SBI VC Trade is responsible for circulation and distribution. SBI stated that JPYSC is Japan's first yen stablecoin managed by a trust bank and is also the first to be recognized as a "similar product to electronic payment means" under the Payment Services Act. Unlike the previously launched fund transfer-type stablecoins in Japan, JPYSC is not subject to a single transaction and account balance limit of 1 million yen.SBI expects that JPYSC will attract retail and institutional users with lower transaction costs and the ability to support large transactions, and it can serve as the yen-based asset for on-chain foreign exchange markets, institutional lending, and RWA (real-world asset) tokenized settlements. Currently, JPYSC is only available to SBI VC Trade account holders, with plans to expand its usage after regulatory and tax frameworks are further clarified. SBI also plans to launch JPYSC lending services.In recent years, Japan has been continuously promoting compliant stablecoins to integrate into the mainstream financial system. Following the approval of JPYC in 2025 as Japan's first legally recognized yen stablecoin, Japan's three major banks—Mitsubishi UFJ Bank (MUFG), Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), and Mizuho Bank—are also jointly advancing stablecoin projects, with plans to launch commercial trading in the fiscal year 2026.

According to Jinshi reports, the USD/JPY has briefly dropped nearly ten points, currently reported at 161.66.

According to CoinPost, Japan's national corporate pension fund plans to start investing in cryptocurrencies in the fiscal year 2026, with an allocation ratio of about 1% of its total operating assets (approximately 21.3 billion yen).The report states that the asset allocation ratio for the fiscal year 2025 is: 80% in yen, 15% in US dollars, and 5% in other currencies. However, in the fiscal year 2026, the yen allocation ratio will decrease to 70%, and a new 10% allocation will be made for currencies from developed countries. The remaining 5% will consist of emerging market currencies, gold, and cryptocurrencies.The main purpose is to diversify currency risk. The fund's executive director, Ai Yuki, stated that due to the potential weakening of the US dollar as a benchmark currency, they decided not to increase their holdings in US dollars and instead use cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin as a hedge against currency depreciation, as Bitcoin has a lower correlation with the US dollar index.After approximately six years of investigation, the fund has determined that the cryptocurrency market has matured as the investor base has expanded. In the future, the fund will continue to explore the possibility of expanding cryptocurrency investments, including funds for arbitrage trading of various cryptocurrencies.

According to the Nikkei, the SBI Group has obtained approval from the Financial Services Agency of Japan and plans to issue a yen-pegged stablecoin, JPYSC, within this week, becoming the first trust-type stablecoin in Japan.The stablecoin is issued by SBI Shinsei Trust Bank, with SBIVC Trade responsible for trading, and it is jointly developed with Singapore fintech company Startale Group. The SBI Group plans to deeply integrate JPYSC with its financial services, including securities, crypto assets, and banking, to enhance user convenience.

According to Jinshi reports, the USD/JPY has briefly dropped over 30 points and is now rebounding to 161.48.

The sell-off in tech stocks has severely impacted the market, with Japanese and South Korean stock markets accelerating their decline in the afternoon. The Nikkei 225 index closed down 2565.58 points on June 23 (Tuesday), a decrease of 3.55%, closing at 69788.38 points. The South Korean KOSPI index closed down 910.49 points, a decrease of 9.99%, marking the largest single-day drop since March 4, closing at 8204.06 points; both SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics fell over 12%.

According to Jinshi reports, Japan's Finance Minister Katsuyuki Kitagawa held an emergency online meeting with U.S. Treasury officials on the evening of June 22 local time. As the yen approaches its lowest level in 39 years, sources say she may have discussed trends in the foreign exchange market and the possibility of foreign exchange intervention with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Previously, the USD/JPY experienced a rapid decline during trading, raising market speculation that Japanese authorities had intervened.

According to Jinshi reports, the USD/JPY short-term fell by more than 40 points, turning down 0.1% during the day, with a low of 161.07.

According to Jinshi reports, the USD/JPY exchange rate has briefly dropped by about 70 points, currently reported at 161.7.

According to the Nikkei Asia report, the Japanese government recently announced plans to achieve over 370 trillion yen (approximately 15.59 trillion yuan) in public-private joint investment in 17 strategic areas by fiscal year 2040. Among these, approximately 10.5 trillion yen (about 442.3 billion yuan) will be specifically allocated to the field of physical AI.It is reported that the Japanese government expects physical AI technology to play a key role in scenarios such as industrial automation, unmanned transportation, and infrastructure inspections, to alleviate the labor shortage caused by the intensifying aging population and the imbalance between labor supply and demand, thereby comprehensively enhancing productivity. In addition, to mitigate the potential risks of high-performance artificial intelligence, Japan also announced a new AI policy draft last week, planning to further strengthen relevant threat control and safety assessment mechanisms.

About 1,200 small and medium-sized enterprises have joined the Japan National Business Enterprise Pension Fund (located in Okayama City), which plans to start investing in cryptocurrencies in the fiscal year 2026. There have been some cases of Japanese companies investing in crypto assets, but it is still relatively rare for domestic pension funds to participate directly in crypto investments.The fund plans to allocate about 1% of its total assets to cryptocurrencies and will do so indirectly by investing in passive funds managed by large hedge funds that include various crypto assets. In terms of asset allocation, its structure for the fiscal year 2025 is: 80% yen, 15% US dollars, and 5% other currencies. In the fiscal year 2026, it plans to adjust to: a reduction of yen to 70%, an addition of 10% allocation to developed country currencies, and the remaining 5% allocated to emerging market currencies, gold, and crypto assets.The main purpose of this adjustment is to diversify exchange rate risk. The fund's executive director, Ai Kuchi, stated that the status of the US dollar as a global benchmark currency may be weakening, which is why they decided to reduce their holdings in US dollars. At the same time, he pointed out that the correlation between Bitcoin and the US dollar index is almost zero, making it a tool for hedging against currency depreciation risk and enhancing the portfolio's ability to withstand inflation.