Stablecoin Payment Adoption Accelerates in Japan Through Lawson Pilot and Netstars Platform
A Tokyo Lawson store is set to pilot yen stablecoin payments as part of an upcoming trial, while Netstars has introduced a merchant-focused service enabling acceptance of multiple stablecoins across Japan.
Lawson, a major convenience-store chain operating throughout Japan, is preparing to conduct a trial of yen-based stablecoin payments at one of its Tokyo outlets this August, testing whether digital stablecoin transactions can function effectively within the typical checkout procedures of a conventional convenience retail environment.
Blockchain technology firm HashPort announced on Monday that it has entered into a partnership agreement with Lawson and telecommunications provider KDDI to execute the experimental program at the Lawson Takanawa Gateway City outlet. Trial participants will utilize HashPort's non-custodial digital wallet solution, while the retail location will handle transactions via the company's integrated point-of-sale infrastructure without requiring store operators to establish or maintain cryptocurrency wallet accounts.
The experimental program is designed to investigate the feasibility of incorporating stablecoin payment methods into Japan's current retail payment systems while protecting merchants from the majority of the technical and operational challenges typically associated with digital asset acceptance in commercial settings.
The participating organizations intend to evaluate technical integration needs, checkout workflow efficiency, transaction processing speed and digital wallet user experience before determining whether to expand the program to additional locations or broader deployment scenarios.
Netstars launches multi-stablecoin merchant service
In a separate development, Netstars, a Japanese payments processing company, introduced Stablecoin Pay on Monday, beginning to accept applications from retail businesses interested in incorporating multiple stablecoin options into their payment acceptance infrastructure.
The payment platform provides initial support for USDC, USDT and the Japanese yen-backed JPYC stablecoin through integration with the Solana and Polygon blockchain networks, with MetaMask designated as the compatible wallet option. Netstars has established the merchant transaction fee at 0.98% and indicated plans to expand support to additional wallet providers and blockchain platforms in the future.
Through this payment solution, retail businesses can utilize their current payment terminal equipment in the majority of situations and manage product pricing, transaction records and financial settlement exclusively in Japanese yen, regardless of whether customers complete purchases using dollar-pegged stablecoins. According to Netstars, this approach eliminates the requirement for merchants to hold cryptocurrency assets or navigate foreign exchange rate fluctuations.
The full-scale commercial deployment follows earlier experimental implementations conducted by Netstars that included USDC payment acceptance at Tokyo's Haneda Airport during the January to February period and at a specialty trading-card retail establishment located in Himeji beginning in April.
The transition from restricted pilot programs to a commercially available merchant-oriented service occurs as Japanese corporations develop an increasing number of consumer-focused applications leveraging the nation's regulated stablecoin marketplace. The regulatory framework for stablecoins in Japan was established on June 1, 2023, when amendments to the Payment Services Act and associated legislation became enforceable.
The regulatory structure established distinct classification categories for fiat currency-linked stablecoins and mandated that commercial entities functioning as intermediary service providers complete registration procedures with the Financial Services Agency, Japan's financial regulatory authority.
Following the establishment of this regulatory framework, authorities granted approval for USDC distribution within Japan in March 2025, and JPYC obtained its official registration as a licensed fund transfer service provider in August of that year, preceding the stablecoin's official market launch in October.