Can Web3 Reshape Japan’s Economic Landscape? PM Shigeru Ishiba Calls Bitcoin a “Once-in-a-Century Opportunity”

TradingKey – Japan is accelerating its embrace of crypto innovation, aiming to use Web3 technologies as a catalyst for economic transformation. On August 25–26, Tokyo hosted WebX 2025, Asia’s largest Web3 conference, where Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivered a series of forward-looking remarks on blockchain and digital assets.

At the event, Ishiba emphasized Web3’s potential to address Japan’s structural challenges — including regional economic stagnation and population decline. He positioned blockchain as a driver of social innovation, capable of unlocking new models for governance, finance, and community development.According to Bitcoin historian @pete_rizzo, Ishiba views Bitcoin and crypto as a “once-in-a-century opportunity,” and Japan is actively working to seize it.

Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) is preparing to include crypto tax reform in its 2026 fiscal revision plan, as reported by Nikkei on August 23. In parallel, stablecoin issuer JPYC has received a license from the FSA and is expected to launch Japan’s first compliant yen-backed stablecoin in October.These developments signal a shift toward regulatory clarity and institutional support for digital assets.

Japan is also seeing a surge in corporate Bitcoin treasury strategies. Companies such as Convano Inc, Remixpoint, ANAP Holdings, Gumi, Mac House, Lib Work, and notably Metaplanet have added BTC to their balance sheets.

Metaplanet, which holds 18,900 BTC, is now Japan’s largest Bitcoin-holding firm and ranks seventh globally. Its inclusion in the FTSE Japan Index further cements its role as a crypto-native public company with growing institutional visibility.