Independent guide · Japan
Buy Crypto in Japan: the Best Crypto Exchanges and How to Start
Every FSA-registered exchange that matters, compared on what actually costs you money: trading fees, spreads, yen deposits and withdrawals. Plus the PayPay, points and konbini routes most English guides skip.
If you live in Japan, open an account with an FSA-registered exchange using your residence card, fund it from a Japanese bank in your own name (instant deposit is usually free), and buy. Visitors without a residence card can’t pass domestic checks, so they usually buy with a foreign card on an international platform.
- Every exchange checked against the FSA register
- Fees from official fee pages
- Written for residents and visitors
Japan was one of the first countries to put crypto exchanges under a proper licence. Since 2017, any firm that wants to sell crypto to people living here has to register with the Financial Services Agency, keep customer assets separate from its own, and verify every customer’s identity. In July 2026 the Diet went further and moved crypto into the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, the law that governs stocks, which brings insider-trading rules and stricter disclosure.
For a newcomer, all that regulation is reassuring, but it also makes the market feel closed. Most exchange apps are in Japanese, the big international names you know from home either left or were told to stop serving Japan residents, and the tax rules are unusually tough. This page cuts through it: a comparison table first, then how buying actually works here, the payment routes that suit expats, what visitors can and can’t do, and what the tax office expects from you. Dotted underlines explain jargon as you go.
01Compare
Crypto exchanges you can use in Japan, side by side
Domestic exchanges show their FSA registration number; the international platform shows the licences it holds. Every name links to the official site.
| # | Exchange | Licence | Coins | Trading fee | How to fund | Best fit | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | CEX.IO Global platform US & UK registered | US FinCEN MSB, UK FCA-registered (not FSA-registered) | 300+ | Spot 0.25% down to 0.10% by 30-day volume | Visa/Mastercard, Apple Pay, Google Pay (USD, EUR, GBP) Min. buy: Card purchases from about $20 | Visitors and non-residents paying with a foreign card | Official site |
| 02 | bitFlyer ビットフライヤー FSA-registered | 関東財務局長 第00003号 | 44 | 0.01–0.15% by volume | Quick deposit: free from SBI-group net bank, ¥330 from others Min. buy: From ¥1 | Bitcoin-first buyers starting small | Official site Review → |
| 03 | Coincheck コインチェック FSA-registered | 関東財務局長 第00014号 | 約38 | 0% / 0% on BTC, ETH and most pairs | Bank transfer, konbini from ¥770, Pay-easy Min. buy: From ¥500 | App-first beginners who want konbini deposits | Official site Review → |
| 04 | bitbank ビットバンク FSA-registered | 関東財務局長 第00004号 | 44 | Maker -0.02% / taker 0.12% (BTC 0% / 0.10%) | Transfer to a GMO Aozora or Docomo SMTB Net Bank account, instant with deposit number Min. buy: From 0.0001 of a coin | Buying altcoins on an order book | Official site Review → |
| 05 | SBI VC Trade SBI VCトレード FSA-registered | 関東財務局長 第00011号 | 35 | Maker -0.01% / taker 0.05% | Free quick deposit, 24/7 Min. buy: From ¥1 | Keeping transfer costs near zero, holding USDC | Official site Review → |
| 06 | GMO Coin GMOコイン FSA-registered | 関東財務局長 第00006号 | 24 | Maker -0.01% / taker 0.05% (BTC, ETH, XRP) | Free instant deposit: Docomo SMTB Net Bank, PayPay Bank, Japan Post Bank Min. buy: From ¥100 | Funding from Japan Post Bank; margin traders | Official site Review → |
| 07 | Binance Japan バイナンスジャパン FSA-registered | 関東財務局長 第00031号 | 66 | 0.10% / 0.10% (0.075% paying in BNB) | PayPay Money, bank transfer (GMO Aozora, Docomo SMTB Net Bank) Min. buy: From ¥1,000 via PayPay Money | Widest coin choice; PayPay users | Official site Review → |
| 08 | Rakuten Wallet 楽天ウォレット FSA-registered | 関東財務局長 第00015号 | 14 | Spot via dealer (no fee, spread applies) | Free real-time deposit from Rakuten Bank; Rakuten Points Min. buy: From ¥100 | Rakuten ecosystem users spending points | Official site Review → |
How to read the table
“Trading fee” is the fee on the order bookA market where users trade with each other at prices they choose. Fees are tiny, but you need to understand order types.. A negative number means you are paid a small rebate when you place a maker orderAn order that waits on the book at your price instead of filling immediately. It adds liquidity, so some exchanges reward it.. The one-tap “buy” screen in most apps is a different thing, the dealer desk販売所 (hanbaijo): the exchange itself sells to you at its own price. Easy, but the gap between its buy and sell price is your real cost., where the fee may say zero while the spreadThe difference between the buy price and the sell price at the same moment. On dealer desks it can be several percent. quietly takes a few percent.
CEX.IO is an international platform registered as a money services business with FinCEN in the US, licensed as a money transmitter in many US states and registered with the UK’s FCA. It accepts Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay and Google Pay. It is not registered with Japan’s FSA, doesn’t support yen, and lists Japan among the countries it doesn’t serve, so it is an option for visitors and non-residents paying with a card issued abroad. If you live in Japan, pick from the FSA-registered exchanges below it.
02Your route
Which way of buying fits your situation?
In Japan, where you buy mostly depends on how you pay and whether you have a residence card.
I have a residence card
You can use domestic exchanges like anyone else. What trips people up is the Japanese bank account in your own name and the katakana name matching.
Crypto for foreigners BPayPay userI want to pay with PayPay
Binance Japan, 40% owned by PayPay, lets you buy from ¥1,000 with PayPay Money and send sale proceeds back to PayPay.
Buy with PayPay CPoints collectorI have loyalty points
Rakuten, Ponta, PayPay and Mercari points can turn into crypto at 1 point = ¥1. A cash-free way to get started.
Buy with points DFirst purchaseI just want ¥5,000 of Bitcoin
bitFlyer and SBI VC Trade sell from ¥1, Coincheck from ¥500. Identity checks on a phone can clear the same day.
How to buy Bitcoin ELarge amountsI’m moving ¥10 million or more
Big orders move the price on the order book. Registered OTC desks quote a fixed yen price, usually from around ¥10 million.
OTC desks in Japan FVisitorI’m only here for a few weeks
Domestic exchanges need a residence card. Use a foreign card on an international platform, or one of the few ATMs in Akihabara and Namba.
Crypto ATMs in Japan03Steps
From sign-up to your first coins
Pick an exchange and register
Email, phone number, then your name, address, job and investment experience. Use your name exactly as it appears on your residence card.
Verify your identity on your phone
Photograph your residence card, My Number card or driver’s licence and take a selfie video. IC-chip readers can finish in minutes.
Send yen from your own bank
Instant deposit lands in minutes. GMO Coin takes free instant deposits from Japan Post Bank and PayPay Bank.
Buy on the dealer desk or the order book
The dealer desk is simplest for small amounts. Move to the order book once you’re comfortable; it’s much cheaper.
Secure it and keep records
Turn on two-factor authentication and download your trade history every year. You’ll need it for your tax return.
04Basics
Dealer desk or order book: the choice that decides your costs
Every Japanese exchange app hides two very different shops behind one ‘Buy’ button.
Dealer desk (販売所)
The exchange sells to you directly. Type an amount, tap, done. It always fills.
The catch is the spread. Coincheck publishes its range as 0.1–5.0%, and it widens when markets are volatile. “Zero fees” on this screen rarely means zero cost.
Order book (取引所)
You trade with other users. Fees run from about 0.15% down to rebates for makers at bitbank, GMO Coin and SBI VC Trade.
You need to understand market and limit orders, and some exchanges list fewer coins here than on their dealer desk.
Here’s the difference in yen. Buy ¥100,000 of Bitcoin and sell it straight back: on Coincheck’s order book the trading fee is zero, and even bitFlyer’s 0.15% tier costs about ¥300 for the round trip. On a dealer desk with a 2% spread each way, around ¥4,000 disappears. Practice on the dealer desk with small amounts, then switch to the order book. Our fee comparison has a calculator that runs the numbers for each exchange.
05Funding
Getting yen in: bank, konbini, PayPay and points
Japanese exchanges differ most in which payment methods they accept. Pick the exchange that matches the money you already have.
| Method | Where it works | Cost and catches |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign card or Apple Pay | CEX.IO (international platform) | 0.49–4.99% + service charge; not for Japan residents |
| Instant bank deposit | GMO Coin (PayPay Bank, Japan Post Bank, Docomo SMTB Net Bank), SBI VC Trade, Rakuten Wallet (Rakuten Bank) | Usually free. Some exchanges lock quick-deposited funds for 7 days |
| Regular bank transfer | bitbank, OKJ, Binance Japan and others | Exchange charges nothing, your bank charges its transfer fee |
| Convenience store (konbini) | Coincheck, BitTrade, Zaif | About ¥500–¥1,000 per payment. Coincheck: ¥770 under ¥30,000, ¥1,018 up to ¥300,000 |
| PayPay Money | Binance Japan | Free when paying at purchase, ¥110 to pre-fund. PayPay Money Lite not accepted |
| Loyalty points | Rakuten Wallet, Mercoin, Binance Japan (PayPay Points) and more | Usually 1 point = ¥1. One-way: crypto can’t go back to points |
| Credit card | Generally not offered by domestic exchanges | Visitors with foreign cards use international platforms instead |
The rule that catches most expats: deposits must come from an account in your own name, and the sender name your bank transmits (usually in katakana) has to match your exchange account. Several regional banks and Japan Post Bank now block transfers to exchanges when the names differ, so a partner’s account won’t work. Our guide to ways to pay covers which banks work best with which exchange.
06Tax
Japan taxes crypto harder than most countries
Profits from crypto are usually miscellaneous incomeA catch-all income category in Japan. It is added to your salary and taxed at your marginal rate. (雑所得). They’re added to your salary and taxed at 5–45% national income tax plus about 10% resident tax. Top earners pay 55% on crypto gains, and today losses can’t be carried forward to future years.
A tax event happens whenever you dispose of crypto, not just when you sell for yen. Swapping Bitcoin for Ether, or paying for something in crypto, counts too. If you’re salaried and your other income stays under ¥200,000 a year you may not need to file for national tax, but resident tax still needs a declaration.
A flat separate taxationTaxing one kind of income separately at a fixed rate, the way Japanese stock gains are taxed at 20.315%. rate of about 20% for certain crypto assets has been enacted, but it starts only after the new securities rules for crypto take effect: January 2028 at the earliest. If you’re planning to move to Japan or leave, timing matters, so read our guide for people moving in or out.
Japan crypto tax guide and calculator · When does the 20% rate start?
07Stay safe
Three checks before you send money anywhere
Japan’s rules are strict, but scams and hacks still happen, often in English-language groups that target foreigners.
The FSA registration number
Look for “Director-General of the Kanto Local Finance Bureau No. 000XX” and match it to the FSA register. Serving Japan residents without registration is illegal.
What happened after past hacks
When DMM Bitcoin lost about ¥48.2 billion of Bitcoin in 2024, customer accounts were moved to SBI VC Trade. How a company handles a crisis tells you a lot.
“Guaranteed returns” in a chat group
Investment groups on LINE and social media that ask you to wire money to a personal account are scams. Real exchanges never ask for that.
Crypto scams in Japan · Which offshore exchanges left Japan · All 27 FSA-registered firms
08By city
Crypto across Japan: pick a city on the map
Almost every exchange is headquartered in Tokyo, and the only crypto ATMs are in Tokyo and Osaka. Outside the big two, it’s mostly about which banks and online routes work.
09Only in Japan
The parts of Japan’s crypto scene worth knowing
Buying Bitcoin with your Mercari balance, a yen stablecoin, local towns issuing NFTs. Japan does a few things nobody else does.
The most Japanese thing about crypto here is how often you reach it through an everyday app. Mercari’s Mercoin lets you buy Bitcoin from ¥1 with the money you made selling things, and passed 4 million accounts, roughly nine in ten of them first-time crypto users. Not every app stuck with it: LINE closed its LINE BITMAX exchange in June 2026 and refunded leftover coins in yen.
Japan also got a regulated yen stablecoin, JPYC, in October 2025, followed by SBI’s trust-based yen coin and a joint pilot by the three megabanks in 2026. Game publishers are experimenting with blockchain titles, and the mountain village of Yamakoshi in Niigata has sold NFTs to around 1,700 “digital villagers” around the world.
Top 10 coins and which you can buy in Japan
Which registered exchanges list each coin, from the FSA register
Read more →
Crypto inside Japanese apps
LINE, Rakuten, PayPay, Mercari and SBI
Read more →
JPYC and yen stablecoins
How JPYC, JPYSC and USDC work in Japan
Read more →
Web3 games and NFTs in Japan
From big publishers to NFT digital villagers
Read more →
Japanese cryptocurrencies
JASMY, Astar, Oasys, Monacoin and more
Read more →
Where to spend crypto in Japan
Real merchants, online options and the tax catch
Read more →Buying crypto in Japan: common questions
Is it legal to buy crypto in Japan?
Yes. Japan regulates crypto under the Payment Services Act, and only firms registered with the Financial Services Agency (FSA) may serve people living in Japan. The FSA publishes the register; 27 firms were on it at the end of September 2026.
Can foreigners open an account on a Japanese exchange?
If you live in Japan with a residence card and a registered address, most domestic exchanges will verify you the same way they verify Japanese citizens. You also need a Japanese bank account in your own name for yen deposits and withdrawals. Some exchanges restrict US persons, so read the terms before you apply.
Can tourists buy crypto in Japan?
Not through Japanese exchanges: their identity checks need a residence card or Japanese ID and a local address. Visitors usually keep using the platform they already have at home, or buy on an international platform that accepts foreign cards and Apple Pay. There are also a handful of crypto ATMs in Tokyo and Osaka.
Can I buy crypto with a credit card in Japan?
Domestic exchanges generally do not sell crypto against credit cards. The exception we found is Zaif, which lets you pay for a coin savings plan with its own card at a 3.5% fee. Residents normally fund accounts by bank transfer, instant deposit, convenience-store payment, PayPay Money or loyalty points.
How much tax do I pay on crypto profits in Japan?
Crypto gains are usually miscellaneous income, added to your salary and taxed at progressive rates: 5–45% national income tax plus about 10% resident tax, so up to 55% in total. A flat 20% rate has been written into law for certain crypto assets, but it is expected to start in 2028 at the earliest.
Is Binance available in Japan?
Binance’s global platform no longer serves Japan residents. Residents use Binance Japan, a separate FSA-registered company that lists 66 coins and lets you pay with PayPay Money. PayPay owns 40% of it.
Sources
- FSA: register of crypto-asset exchange service providers (Japanese, PDF)
- JVCEA statistics
- National Tax Agency: FAQ on the tax treatment of crypto assets (Japanese, PDF)
- GMO Coin: deposits and withdrawals
- PayPay press release on its investment in Binance Japan (Japanese)
- CEX.IO: countries and territories not supported
- CEX.IO: legal and security
All guides
Find the guide you need
Crypto for foreigners in Japan
Visas, residence cards, US persons and tourists
Read more →
FSA-registered exchanges list
Every licensed operator with registration number and what it offers
Read more →
Exchange fees compared
Maker/taker, spreads, deposits and withdrawals side by side
Read more →
How to buy Bitcoin in Japan
Account opening to first purchase, step by step
Read more →
Top 10 coins and which you can buy in Japan
Which registered exchanges list each coin, from the FSA register
Read more →
Cash out crypto to yen
Routes by where your coins sit, fees and tax timing
Read more →
Ways to pay for crypto
Bank transfer, instant deposit, konbini, PayPay and points
Read more →
Crypto cards in Japan
Cards that earn crypto vs cards that spend it
Read more →
Crypto wallets in Japan
Choosing a wallet your exchange will actually send to
Read more →
Is crypto legal in Japan?
FSA, JVCEA, the Bank of Japan and the new law
Read more →
Exchange and app reviews
Japanese services tested against one checklist
Read more →
City guides
Pick a city on the map of Japan
Read more →
Crypto glossary
Plain-English definitions with the Japanese terms
Read more →