Japan's Financial Instruments and Exchange Act Amendment Passes House of Councillors, Crypto Assets Formally Brought Under Financial Instruments Regulation

According to CoinPost, Japan's "Partial Amendment Bill to the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act and the Payment Services Act" was passed at the plenary session of the House of Councillors on July 15 and officially enacted. The amendment bill defines crypto assets as financial instruments for the first time. The core content includes: • Tax System Reform: Changed from comprehensive taxation with a maximum rate of 55% to separate taxation with filing (tax rate approx. 20%), and allows loss carryforward deduction for 3 years • ETF Approval: Establish the institutional framework for crypto asset ETFs; Japan Exchange Group expects listing around 2027 • Investor Protection: Introduces regulations on insider trading for the first time, strengthening the prohibition on trading based on non-public information; the upper limit for criminal penalties for sales without registration increased from 3 years imprisonment to 10 years • Information Disclosure: Specific crypto asset issuers must publicly disclose information annually on a regular basis Tax system changes are conditional upon the enforcement of the law; if implemented in fiscal 2027, the new tax system will officially apply from January 1, 2028.