Japan Strengthens Anti-Money Laundering Measures for Crypto Transactions

• It mandates the sharing of specific information between financial institutions.
• Each phase of a particular transaction must also include the relevant names and addresses.

To keep in line with other countries in the region. Japan is anticipated to enact additional anti-money laundering measures to better monitor crypto transactions. According to Japan Today on Tuesday, the country’s government plans to apply the new restrictions on June 1, which would see the implementation of what is known as the travel rule.

To prevent, identify, and punish money laundering and other financial crimes. It mandates the sharing of specific information between financial institutions for the purpose of transaction traceability.

Pressure from FATF

Each phase of a particular transaction must also include the relevant names, addresses, and other personally identifiable information necessary for processing the transaction. Providers of virtual asset services were included in a subsequent revision of the regulation.

Japan’s first effort at adopting the regulation in 2021 was deemed insufficient by the international organization responsible for implementing the rule, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

For the last two years, Japan has responded to critiques by increasing the stringency of its crypto legislation. The Financial Action Task Force also publicly shamed Japan for its “inadequate progress” on the problem of digital assets. Which was among the charges levelled against the country.

Therefore, the Japanese Legislature passed a major investor protection measure in June of last year. Providing a framework for stablecoins and classifying them as digital currencies. Stablecoins may only be issued by legally recognized financial institutions including banks, money transfer businesses, and trust firms.

Simultaneously, the government requested amendments to its Foreign Exchange Act in an effort to restrict cryptocurrency transactions that would benefit sanctioned Russian nationalists.