The Financial Services Agency began operating in 2000, when its predecessor, the Financial Supervisory Agency, and the Financial Planning Bureau of the Ministry of Finance were merged1. It appears in the derivatives articles as the main regulator. Its inspection and supervision cover banks and financial instruments business operators, and also trade repositories, operators of financial instruments markets, and authorized financial instruments firms associations such as the Japan Securities Dealers Association2.

The supervisory guidelines, which are the manuals for inspection and supervision, and the list of notices under its jurisdiction are published on the "Laws, guidelines, etc." page of its website3. The results of examinations that the Bank of Japan conducts at its counterparty financial institutions can be submitted to the FSA if the Commissioner of the FSA requests them4.

Notes

  1. Financial Services Agency, "加藤財務大臣兼内閣府特命担当大臣閣議後記者会見の概要（令和７年７月１日）" (Summary of the press conference by the Minister of Finance, Minister of State for Financial Services, after the Cabinet meeting on July 1, 2025; our translation of the title) (checked on October 13, 2026), the opening remarks. They say that 25 years had passed since the Agency began, after the Financial Supervisory Agency and the Ministry of Finance's Financial Planning Bureau were merged (in Japanese). ↩

  2. The Act for Establishment of the Financial Services Agency (checked on October 13, 2026), Article 2 (an external agency of the Cabinet Office), Article 3 (mission), and Article 4, items 1 to 3 (the planning of systems, and the entities subject to inspection and other supervision, such as persons conducting financial instruments business, persons opening financial instruments markets, trade repositories, and authorized financial instruments firms associations) (in Japanese). ↩

  3. Financial Services Agency, "法令・指針等" (Laws, guidelines, etc.; our translation of the title) (checked on October 13, 2026), "監督指針・事務ガイドライン" (the list of supervisory guidelines) and "所管法令等" (the list of notices under its jurisdiction) (in Japanese). ↩

  4. The Bank of Japan Act (checked on October 13, 2026), Article 44, paragraph 3 (in Japanese). ↩