Japan Stablecoin Payments Advance with Lawson Trial, Netstars Launch

Lawson, Japan’s major convenience store chain, is preparing to test yen-denominated stablecoin payments at a Tokyo location in August, marking a significant step in integrating digital assets into everyday retail operations.

Blockchain company HashPort has signed an agreement with Lawson and telecom group KDDI to conduct the trial at the Lawson Takanawa Gateway City store. Participants will use HashPort’s non-custodial wallet, while the store processes payments through its point-of-sale system without managing crypto wallets directly.

The pilot aims to evaluate integration requirements, checkout efficiency, payment processing times, and wallet usability before potential broader adoption.

Separately, Japanese payments firm Netstars launched “Stablecoin Pay” on Monday, enabling merchants to accept USDC, USDT, and yen-backed JPYC via Solana and Polygon networks. The service charges a 0.98% fee and allows merchants to settle transactions in yen without holding crypto or managing exchange rates.

This follows Netstars’ prior trials of USDC payments at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport and a trading-card store in Himeji. Japan’s regulatory framework for stablecoins, established in June 2023, has paved the way for such innovations, with regulatory approvals for USDC in March 2025 and JPYC in October 2023.

Emre Can Note: Japan’s regulated stablecoin ecosystem is laying foundational stones for mainstream adoption. Lawson’s in-store trials and Netstars’ multi-stablecoin infrastructure suggest that traditional retail sectors may be nearing readiness for seamless digital asset integration. These developments underscore DeFi’s potential to bridge with conventional economic systems.