- Lawson will pilot JPYC stablecoin payments at a Tokyo store starting in early August.
- JPYC circulation surpassed 2 billion yen as regulated stablecoin adoption continues.
- Netstars expands stablecoin payments with USDC USDT and JPYC for merchants.
Lawson is preparing to test stablecoin payments in Japan through a new pilot that will allow customers to pay using the yen-backed stablecoin JPYC. The trial is scheduled to begin in early August at the company’s Takanawa Gateway City convenience store in Tokyo and forms part of a proof-of-concept involving telecommunications company KDDI and crypto wallet provider HashPort.
The initiative expands the practical use of regulated digital payment assets in everyday retail while taking place under Japan’s stablecoin framework, which requires licensing and oversight for issuers and related service providers. The pilot also comes as Japanese companies continue introducing new consumer payment services built around regulated stablecoins.
Lawson Launches JPYC Payment Trial
According to the reported plan, customers visiting the selected Lawson location will be able to complete purchases using JPYC, a stablecoin designed to maintain a one-to-one value with the Japanese yen.
The project is being carried out with KDDI, Japan’s second-largest telecommunications operator, together with HashPort, whose wallet infrastructure supports JPYC transactions. Lawson, Japan’s third-largest convenience store chain after Seven-Eleven and FamilyMart, operates 14,697 stores nationwide and recorded more than 3.02 trillion yen, equivalent to approximately $18.68 billion, in fiscal 2026 net sales.
JPYC Expands Regulated Stablecoin Presence
JPYC entered the market last October as Japan’s first registered yen-denominated stablecoin following regulatory licensing requirements introduced in 2023. Last week, the issuer reported that the stablecoin’s on-chain circulation exceeded 2 billion yen, or approximately $12.36 million.
The stablecoin operates across Avalanche, Ethereum, Polygon, and Kaia. JPYC Inc. stated that every issued token is backed by reserves held in Japanese yen deposits and government bonds in accordance with Japan’s Payment Services Act.
The company has also joined Metaplanet and Progmat in a joint study exploring digital credit that combines bitcoin, stablecoins, and security tokens.
Merchant Adoption Continues Across Japan
Separately, payments company Netstars launched Stablecoin Pay on Monday, allowing merchants to apply to accept USDC, USDT, and JPYC through the Solana and Polygon networks using MetaMask wallets. The service applies a merchant payment fee of 0.98% while enabling businesses to continue pricing products, recording sales, and settling transactions in yen, including when customers pay with dollar-backed stablecoins.
The commercial rollout follows earlier payment trials at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport between January and February and at a trading-card store in Himeji beginning in April. These developments follow Japan’s stablecoin regulations, which took effect on June 1, 2023, creating legal categories for fiat-backed stablecoins, requiring intermediary registration with the Financial Services Agency, and paving the way for USDC distribution approval in March 2025 before JPYC’s registration and launch later that year.
Related: Sony Bank Has Partnered With The Japanese Yen Stablecoin JPYC
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