Japanese messaging app provider LINE Corporation announced that its newly-developed LINK (LN) token is now tradeable on its native BITBOX cryptocurrency exchange in a press release Tuesday, October 16. LINE, which launched BITBOX in July, will offer trading against three cryptocurrency assets – Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Tether (USDT) – out of a total of thirty currently available on the exchange. BITBOX does not offer fiat trading. In future, LN holders will be able to spend their holdings in LINE’s decentralized application (DApp) system, also currently under development, the press release notes. “We're very pleased that users are now …

Japanese technology multinational Sony revealed it is working on a blockchain-powered extension of its digital rights management system Monday, Oct. 15. The project is a joint endeavor with both Sony Music Entertainment Japan and Sony Global Education. The as yet unnamed project — the commercialization of which is currently being “considered” — specifically targets “managing rights-related information of written works.” The announcement comes around a year after Sony announced its original blockchain product for education data, when it partnered with fellow technology giant IBM. The press release notes that this “new system” is built off of Sony and Sony Global …

Hacked Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Zaif has announced an official plan to provide financial support for affected customers’ assets, in an official notice posted today, October 10. As previously reported, the exchange suffered a security breach Sept. 14, resulting in total losses of cryptocurrencies worth 6.7 billion yen (around $59.7 million). At the time, Zaif operator Tech Bureau Inc. indicated it would be working with Fisco Digital Asset Group to draft a joint support plan. Today’s notice clarifies that the terms of the basic agreement between the two firms have been in formal negotiation as of Sept. 20., and initially stipulated …

As it awaits its Japanese operating license, an executive from leading U.S. crypto exchange Coinbase has made positive remarks about the country’s toughened stance towards the crypto industry. In an interview with financial newspaper Nikkei Asian Review published Oct. 10, Coinbase chief policy officer Mike Lempres said that talks for obtaining the license are "going well" with the country’s top financial watchdog, adding that the regulator’s focus on security is “good for us.” As previously reported, Japan’s Financial Services Authority (FSA), has intensified its scrutiny of crypto exchanges in the wake of January’s industry-record-breaking $532 million hack of domestic crypto …

Japanese internet conglomerate GMO Internet Co. Ltd confirmed plans to release a cryptographic stablecoin, Cointelegraph Japan reports Tuesday, Oct. 9, pegged to the Japanese yen. GMO, which entered the Japanese cryptocurrency exchange market in May last year, intends to begin issuing tokens, dubbed GMO Japanese Yen (GJY), during the 2019 financial year. The news marks a further potential player in the yen-pegged stablecoin market, with several other corporations signalling their intentions to launch assets of their own in recent months. GMO confirmed the main impetus behind its decision was to target international remittances. “We have banks and trust licenses in …

Much noise has been made about the untraceable qualities of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin "can be used to buy merchandise anonymously" said early primers on crypto, it offers users the kind of financial privacy that was previously available only from a "Swiss bank account," say more recent commentators. And given its ability to provide people with a layer of anonymity and privacy, it has been smeared by politicians, experts and mainstream journalists alike as a hiding place for almost any hacker, drug dealer, gang member, terrorist or despot you could possibly name (even if cash is still the preferred …

Ripple-powered payments app MoneyTap has now gone live, according to an official tweet October 3. The consumer-focused service was co-developed by Ripple and Japanese financial services giant SBI Holdings. According to the product’s website, MoneyTap will use Ripple’s blockchain solution xCurrent to enable domestic bank-to-bank transfers in “real time.” Account holders at three participating Japanese banks – SBI Sumishin Net Bank, Suruga Bank and Resona Bank – can send funds using the mobile app, which is compatible with both iOS and Android devices. After registration, users will reportedly need just their cell phone numbers or a QR code to complete …

A prominent pro-blockchain politician has been appointed as Japan’s Minister of Science, Technology, and IT, Cointelegraph Japan reported October 2. His appointment comes as part of the fourth reshuffle of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe's cabinet. Takuya Hirai, a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and reportedly one of the architects of a law legalizing crypto exchanges in Japan last year, will take up the key role as head of the ministry — charged, among other things, with overseeing official government policy towards financial technologies. As CT Japan outlined, Hirai has been proactive in promoting blockchain as part …

The self-regulatory Japan Virtual Currency Exchange Association (JVCEA) plans to stricten its customer asset management measures. The Japan Times outlet reported this news Sunday, September 30, citing “informed sources.” JVCEA is a self-regulatory group of some of the largest licensed exchange operators in Japan, established in April of this year. Now, the organization is reportedly planning to tighten its rules by establishing a limit on the amount of digital currencies that can be managed online by any exchange. According to The Japan Times’ sources, the limit will likely be set at around 10 to 20 percent of customer deposits. JVCEA …

Japanese internet services giant GMO Internet Inc. has launched a new mining software client designed for mining Zcash (ZEC) on graphic processing units (GPUs). GMO announced the new client, dubbed Cryptknocker, in a news release published September 28. Cryptknocker has reportedly been designed to enable users to mine cryptocurrencies that are based on the Equihash consensus algorithm using commonly-available GPU chips. Unlike more specialized Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), GPUs are widely used in many domestic computers. As previously reported, when Zcash’s developers unrolled Equihash – the mining algorithm Zcash, as well as a number of other cryptocurrencies run on – …

Japanese social messaging giant LINE has unveiled 5 new decentralized applications (DApps) and a new Japan-focused digital coin. The plans were announced in a press release shared with Cointelegraph Friday, September 28. LINE’s messaging service is reported to have over 214 million active users, with 30 million in Japan already using its mobile payment service, Line Pay. The firm has today revealed that its new series of DApps will focus on a range of service categories, including “prediction, Q&A,” as well as reviews of products, food and locations. LINE’s overseas crypto token LINK has been distributed through transactions on the …

Financial services company SBI Holdings announced it had secured a license from Japanese regulators for its joint money transfer operation with Ripple in a statement Wednesday, September 26. SBI Ripple Asia, a venture under development with Ripple since 2017, now has permission to handle electronic payments as an “Electronic Settlement Agency Service Provider” under legislation rolled out in March that year. According to SBI’s statement, its smartphone app MoneyTap — which will allow users to send payments using a platform based on distributed ledger technology (DLT) — is now closer to a public launch. The statement adds: “SBI Ripple Asia …