Seihaku Yoshida: Japan’s Stablecoin Strategy & the Future of JPY Crypto

In this episode of Bitcoin.com News Interviews, host speaks with Seihaku Yoshida, founder and CEO of Hashport, Japan’s leading non-custodial wallet and stablecoin payment service provider. Yoshida shares his journey from a BCG consultant focused on blockchain ventures in 2017 to launching Hashport in 2018 during the crypto winter. The company grew through consulting work for Japanese and global crypto projects before acquiring a major wallet platform in 2021, fueling its rise to become the dominant player in Japan’s stablecoin ecosystem. Hashport’s success was amplified by its role in the 2025 Osaka World Expo, where it provided a gasless, user-friendly wallet that introduced over 1 million people to Web3. Yoshida breaks down Japan’s crypto user base into three types: tech-savvy young investors, active mid-career traders, and long-term, loyal investors. He identifies DeFi adoption among active traders and Bitcoin ETFs for long-term investors as the next growth drivers, especially with Japan’s upcoming tax reform reducing capital gains rates from 55% to 20%. Yoshida also discusses Japan’s strict but stable regulatory environment, praising its predictability despite its rigidity. On stablecoins, he argues that local stablecoins like JPYC can thrive if they solve real domestic problems, while cautioning against closed ecosystems that limit decentralization. He remains optimistic about JPYC’s domestic potential but skeptical about its global reach unless it offers superior utility.