Everything you need to know about Japan Crypto Tax

By the end of 2023, Japan saw a significant surge in crypto asset accounts, reaching approximately 8.82 million compared to 6.4 million the year prior. The number of active accounts also saw a notable rise, surpassing five million.

Astar emerged as one of the leading cryptocurrencies in Japan, boasting a substantial spot trading volume of around 537.6 million units.

But beware Cryptocurrency transactions in Japan are subject to Income Tax. The Japanese National Tax Agency (NTA) has provided guidelines on how crypto is taxed. Here, we explain everything you need to know about crypto taxes, including how to avoid penalties from tax evasion, and tips to reduce your crypto tax bill.

Is Crypto Taxed in Japan?

Absolutely, in Japan, they do tax cryptocurrency.

Cryptocurrency is considered like owning property and falls under the tax category of Miscellaneous Income according to the Payment Services Act (PSA) and the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act (FIEA).

When you purchase, hold, or transfer cryptocurrency between wallets, you won't be taxed. Also, the National Tax Agency (NTA) doesn't differentiate yet between individuals and businesses regarding cryptocurrency taxes.

If you've bought or sold cryptocurrency in the past financial year and your gains were over 200,000 JPY, you'll need to report those amounts on your Income Tax return.

If you want to learn in-depth on how crypto is taxed in Japan, take a look at our Japan Crypto Tax Guide.

Tax Filing Deadline

In Japan, the tax year starts on January 1 and ends on December 31. You can report your cryptocurrency by March 15th.

Will the tax authorities (NTA) know about your cryptocurrency holdings?

Yes, they likely will if you're using a Japan-based Crypto-asset Exchange Service Provider (CAESP).

Here's why:

• Crypto exchanges in Japan have to be registered with the Financial Services Agency (FSA) before they can operate. This registration process, which can take up to six months, includes strict rules about cybersecurity and sharing user data.

• Japan is a founding member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and part of the Asia-Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG). The APG helps countries implement FATF guidelines and assesses their efforts.

In 2021, a man got convicted for avoiding crypto taxes, marking the first such case. He got a one-year sentence and a hefty fine of over 22 million JPY for breaking Income Tax laws. This shows that Japanese authorities are serious about crypto tax evasion!

Crypto is treated like other types of income

In Japan, any gains you make from cryptocurrency are taxed as Miscellaneous Income. This means they're subject to the same tax rate as your regular income.

Miscellaneous Income covers earnings that don't fit into categories like interest, dividends, real estate, business profits, salary, retirement funds, forestry income, capital gains, or temporary income.

How much do you owe in taxes?

In Japan, the amount of tax you owe on your cryptocurrency gains depends on your Personal Income Tax bracket. Profits from stocks fall into a different tax category and are taxed at a fixed rate of 20%.

Here's the breakdown:

• Crypto profits are taxed at rates ranging from 5% to a maximum of 45%. But when you add municipal tax, which is 10%, the total tax can go up to a maximum of 55%.

• If you make over 200,000 JPY from crypto, you have to pay Income Tax. Even if you earn less than that but plan to claim deductions for medical expenses or hometown taxes, you still need to report your crypto profits.

• If you earn less than 200,000 JPY from investments like crypto and aren't claiming deductions, you don't have to report your crypto gains on your annual Income Tax return.

• Unfortunately, losses from crypto investments can't be deducted from your income or other assets. Only losses from real estate, business, asset transfers, and forestry income are eligible for deductions. Cryptocurrency losses don't fall into any of these categories yet.

Taxed Crypto Transactions under Miscellaneous Income 

1. Selling Cryptocurrency for fiat

When you sell cryptocurrency for traditional currency like Japanese Yen (JPY), it's considered a taxable event, according to the National Tax Agency (NTA). Any profit you make from selling crypto is taxed as miscellaneous income.

For instance, let's say Junta bought 0.1 Bitcoin in July 2023 for ¥1,000 and sold it in November 2023 for ¥2,000. In this case, his total profit (capital gain) would be ¥1,000.

2. Swapping one Crypto for Another 

When you swap one cryptocurrency for another (like trading BTC for XRP), it's considered a taxable event in Japan. The National Tax Agency (NTA) views this exchange as 2 separate transactions: first, you sell your BTC for a certain amount of yen, then you use that yen to buy ETH.

Even if you don't actually receive any yen in your pocket, you still need to pay tax on the sale of your BTC.

The fair market value of the coins you receive in Japanese Yen (JPY) is used to calculate the profit. If the value of the received cryptocurrency can't be determined, you'll need to consider the market value of the crypto you sold at the time of the transaction.

3. Giving Cryptocurrency as a Gift

When you give crypto to someone in the form of a gift, it's treated the same as selling it. This means it's considered a taxable event, and you'll pay Miscellaneous Income Tax. The amount you'll be taxed on is the fair market value of the cryptocurrency in Japanese Yen (JPY) on the date you gave the gift.

4. Using Stablecoins for Trading

Stablecoins are a type of cryptocurrency designed to keep their value stable. They achieve this by being backed by a reserve asset, typically a stable fiat currency like Japanese Yen (JPY) or US Dollar (USD). However, according to the National Tax Agency (NTA), stablecoins such as TrueUSD are treated no differently than any other cryptocurrency. This means they're subject to the same tax treatment, which is Miscellaneous Income Tax, just like regular crypto-to-crypto exchanges.

5. Mining Cryptocurrency 

In Japan, the rewards you get from mining cryptocurrency count as taxable income. You'll need to report this extra income on your Income Tax statement under Miscellaneous Income.

6. Receiving Payment in Crypto

If you're freelancing or working for a company that pays in cryptocurrency, you can't avoid income tax.

Any crypto you receive as payment is taxed based on its fair market value in Japanese Yen (JPY) at the time you receive it. Make sure to declare all cryptocurrency income on your Income Tax statement as additional Miscellaneous Income.

7. Using Cryptocurrency to buy Goods & Services

Sadly, when you spend your Bitcoin or any other cryptocurrency in Japan, it's considered taxable income. You'll need to report it on your Income Tax statement as extra Miscellaneous Income.

8. Airdrops

When you get a free coin through an airdrop, it counts as taxable income. Make sure to report it on your Income Tax statement as extra Miscellaneous Income.

9. Interest from DeFi, Lending, Staking, and Masternodes

When you lend out your cryptocurrency and earn interest on it, it counts as taxable income. Remember to include it on your Income Tax statement as extra Miscellaneous Income.

10. Sign-up and Referral Bonuses

If you receive cryptocurrency for signing up or referring others to a service, it's considered income and is subject to tax. Be sure to report it on your Income Tax statement as extra Miscellaneous Income.

Tax Free Crypto Transactions in Japan

1. Buying Cryptocurrency

When you buy cryptocurrency in Japan, you won't be taxed, just like in many other places around the globe.

However, it is important to keep detailed records of your purchases. This helps you figure out the cost basis when you eventually sell or 'dispose' of your crypto, which is when you'll need to pay taxes.

Kryptos serves as more than just a crypto tax software; it's also a handy crypto portfolio tracker. It's the ideal tool for keeping track of when you bought and sold your crypto.

2. Transferring your crypto between your own wallets or accounts

..isn't something the taxman cares about, and it won't trigger any capital gains tax (CGT). However, it's still important to keep tabs on these moves because automated crypto tax tools like Kryptos use this information to track your costs.

For example: let's say Peter buys 4LTC for ¥1,000 on Coinbase, then shifts it to his private LTC wallet. Later, he moves the LTC from his private wallet to his Binance account, where he sells it for ¥2,000, making a ¥1,000 profit.

If Peter wants to use Kryptos for his crypto tax report, he needs to link all three wallets. If he only links Coinbase and Binance, Kryptos won't know that the LTC he transferred to Binance originally came from Coinbase. But once Peter adds his private wallet address, Kryptos can trace the transfer accurately. This ensures a precise tax report.

If Peter can't access his private wallet anymore, he'll need to make manual adjustments using Kryptos's web interface. He'll mark the transfer from Coinbase as "Ignored" to avoid paying taxes on it twice. Then, he'll adjust the value of the incoming transaction to Binance to match the cost basis from Coinbase.

3. HODLing Crypto 

When you're holding onto your crypto, there's no need to worry about paying taxes on it. Whether your crypto stash grows in value or not, you're in the clear. Taxes only come into play when you decide to sell, trade, or give away your crypto.

4. Receiving Crypto as a Gift

If someone gives you crypto as a gift or donation, you won't get taxed on it right away. Actually, it's completely tax-free. Lucky you!

5. Donating Crypto

When you donate crypto in Japan, it's just like giving any other donation – you can deduct it from your taxes if it's going to a registered charity.

Types of accounting methods used

In Japan, there are two ways to calculate the cost basis of your cryptocurrency: the total average method and the moving average method. Right now, Kryptos only supports the moving average method, also known as ACB.

How to report your cryptocurrency Taxes

You have 2 options: online or with paper forms.

For paper forms: If you only have income from employment, miscellaneous income like crypto gains, pensions, dividends, or occasional earnings, and you haven't made any estimated tax payments, use Form A.

For online filing, here's what to do:

1. Sign in or create an account with the National Tax Agency.
2. Navigate to relevant income, then select salary (給与).
3. Choose miscellaneous income (雑（その他）) and confirm (確定).
4. Depending on your situation, Answer "Do you wish to receive deductions for your home".
5. Select e-Tax for your submission method and proceed. You can also sync with the My Number Portal Website if you prefer.
6. Enter your miscellaneous income in Japanese Yen. Profit amount (収入金額): This includes your profit or loss from cryptocurrency transactions.
7. From the drop-down list (暗号資産), choose "crypto asset" as the category (種目).
8. Enter the name and legal address of the exchange. If you've earned profits from multiple exchanges, just enter the details of one, and add (ほか).
9. Complete the rest of your income tax return based on your personal circumstances.

Use Kryptos to easily file your Crypto Taxes with the NTA

Avoid the hassle and the risk of errors. Don't rely solely on your accountant to figure it out. Instead, use Kryptos. 

Here's how simple it is:

1. Sign up for a FREE account.
2. Choose Japan as your base country and Yen (JPY) as your currency.
3. Connect Kryptos to your wallets and exchanges. It works seamlessly with Coinbase, Binance, bitFlyer, Huobi, Kraken, and 3000 more.
4. Let Kryptos do the calculations. 
5. Your data is gathered, and your complete tax report is ready!
6. Upgrade to a paid plan to download your crypto tax report.
7. Share your report with your accountant, or use the figures from your Kryptos report to file your taxes with the National Tax Agency (NTA) yourself.

FAQs

1. Is Crypto Taxed in Japan?

Yes, cryptocurrency transactions in Japan are subject to income taxes. According to the Payment Services Act (PSA) and the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act (FIEA), cryptocurrency is treated like owning property and falls under the tax category of Miscellaneous Income.

2. When is the Tax Filing Deadline for Crypto in Japan?

The tax year in Japan starts on January 1 and ends on December 31. Cryptocurrency taxes can be reported by March 15.

3. How Much Do I pay in Taxes on Crypto Profits in Japan?

The amount of tax you owe on your cryptocurrency gains depends on your Personal Income Tax bracket. Crypto profits are taxed at rates ranging from 5% to a maximum of 45%, with municipal tax potentially increasing the total tax to a maximum of 55%.

4. Are Stablecoins Treated Differently for Tax Purposes in Japan?

No, stablecoins like TrueUSD are treated the same as any other cryptocurrency in Japan. They are subject to Miscellaneous Income Tax, just like regular crypto-to-crypto exchanges.

5. What Transactions Are Tax-Free Regarding Cryptocurrency in Japan?

Buying cryptocurrency and transferring between your own wallets or accounts are tax-free transactions in Japan. However, it's essential to keep detailed records for accurate tax reporting in the future.

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All content on Kryptos serves general informational purposes only. It's not intended to replace any professional advice from licensed accountants, attorneys, or certified financial and tax professionals. The information is completed to the best of our knowledge and we at Kryptos do not claim either correctness or accuracy of the same. Before taking any tax position / stance, you should always consider seeking independent legal, financial, taxation or other advice from the professionals. Kryptos is not liable for any loss caused from the use of, or by placing reliance on, the information on this website. Kryptos disclaims any responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of any positions taken by you in your tax returns. Thank you for being part of our community, and we're excited to continue guiding you on your crypto journey!