In the 2019 amendment of the Payment Services Act, the term in the law changed from "virtual currency" to "crypto-asset"1. The definition is in Article 2, paragraph 14 of the Payment Services Act in the version in force on August 12, 20262. The Financial Instruments and Exchange Act includes in financial instruments "crypto-assets and certain electronic payment instruments", which are crypto-assets plus certain electronic payment instruments of the Payment Services Act3.

Notes

  1. Financial Services Agency, "情報通信技術の進展に伴う金融取引の多様化に対応するための資金決済に関する法律等の一部を改正する法律案要綱" (Outline of the bill to amend the Payment Services Act and related laws, in Japanese), Part 1, item 1 (1). ↩

  2. "資金決済に関する法律" (Payment Services Act, in Japanese), Article 2, paragraph 14. ↩

  3. "金融商品取引法" (Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, in Japanese), Article 2, paragraph 24, item 3-2. The 暗号等資産 are the crypto-assets in Article 2, paragraph 14 of the Payment Services Act, and those items in Article 2, paragraph 5, item 4 of that Act that a Cabinet Office Order designates. ↩