China’s Chang’an blockchain hits 100K TPS — but don’t mention “crypto”, Japan’s Minna Bank looks to issue stablecoins on Solana, Asia Express Beijings state media is rallying behind Changan Chain, a homegrown blockchain infrastructure hailed as a solution to Chinas root problem of digital sovereignty. A profile on Qianlong.com credits researcher Dong Jin and his team for building a fully open-source and state-backed blockchain stack now powering national digital projects. Though little-known outside China, Changan Chain has gone through 21 iterations over six years and now claims to handle over 100,000 transactions per second a benchmark often cited by next-generation blockchains aiming to match the scale of traditional financial networks. It is reportedly being used in Chinas nationwide real estate registration system and by companies to digitize supply contracts, allowing banks to verify supplier relationships and accelerate loan approvals. Read more
Gates Inc. and Oasys’s partnership is one of Japan’s largest real estate tokenization projects, with phase 1 aiming to expand liquidity to $34 billion. Japanese real estate investment firm Gates Inc. will tokenize $75 million worth of central Tokyo properties on the Oasys blockchain, marking one of the country’s largest real estate tokenization initiatives to date. The partnership, announced Wednesday, represents a major step for both companies. Gates plans to eventually tokenize over $200 billion in assets — about 1% of Japan’s real estate market — while Oasys continues expanding beyond its gaming roots into real-world asset (RWA) tokenization. Gates, which generated $145 million in 2024 revenue and was listed on the Financial Times’ “High-Growth Companies Asia-Pacific 2023” list, is currently conducting a Nasdaq roadshow after filing its F-1 prospectus. Read more
In a significant step to strengthen national stability, the Japanese government has approved a revised disaster mitigation plan designed to decrease the disastrous impact of a potential Nankai Trough earthquake. The plan was permitted during a Central Disaster Management Council meeting held on Tuesday at the official residence of the Prime Minister. The revised plan […]
Japan executed a man on Friday who killed nine people after contacting them on social media, the first use of capital punishment in the country in nearly three years. Takahiro Shiraishi had been sentenced to death for his 2017 strangling and dismembering of eight women and one man in his apartment in Zama city in […]
TOKYO: Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has validated that around 30% of the rice auctioned from government holdings has been transported to retailers and restaurants, as part of a larger undertaking to stabilise rising rice prices across the country. Three rice auctions were conducted in March and April 2025 by the ministry, selling […]
Japan’s FSA proposed classifying crypto as financial products, potentially allowing ETFs and a flat 20% capital gains tax. Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) proposed a sweeping reclassification of cryptocurrencies that would clear a path for the launch of crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and introduce a flat 20% tax on digital asset income. The proposal, introduced on Tuesday, suggests recognizing crypto as “financial products” under the scope of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act (FIEA), the same regulatory framework that governs securities and traditional financial products. The proposed reclassification could also shift Japan’s current progressive tax system, which taxes crypto gains at rates up to 55%, to a uniform 20%, mirroring the treatment of stocks. That change could make crypto investing more attractive to both retail and institutional players. Read more
OKAYAMA: As temperatures increase across Japan, residents and tourists in the western region of Okayama are embracing a delightful and traditional way to cool down, Nagashi Somen, a treasured summer ritual in Japan. In the lovely Yamanori Valley of Maniwa City, a restaurant with over 40 years of history has reopened for the season, offering […]