Japan Crypto Tax Guide 2023

Cryptocurrency - 仮想通貨 – Kasō tsūka - transactions attract Income Taxes in Japan. The Japanese National Tax Association (NTA) has set out guidelines on how crypto is taxed. Here we break down everything you need to know about crypto taxes and how you can avoid notices, audits and penalties later on, and offer tips on how to reduce your Japanese crypto tax bill.

Yes, Cryptocurrency is taxed in Japan.

Cryptocurrency is viewed as property and is taxed in Japan States as Miscellaneous Income, under the Payment Services Act (PSA) and the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act (FIEA).

You won't pay tax when you buy crypto, hold crypto, or move your crypto between wallets. In addition, the NTA does not yet distinguish between individuals and business when it comes to cryptocurrencies taxes.

If you’ve bought or sold cryptocurrency in the last financial year and made more than 200,000 JPY, you'll need to declare your crypto totals on your Income Tax return.

This guide is regularly updated

Before we start - crypto tax rules are in constant flux. At Koinly we keep a very close eye on the NTA'S crypto policies - here - and regularly update this guide to keep you informed and tax-compliant.

7 March 2022: Updated for 2022.

08 October 2020: Welcome to your Japan cryptocurrency tax guide!

Will the NTA know about your crypto?

Yes. If you have an account with an Japan-based Crypto-asset Exchange Service Providers (CAESPs), then it's likely that the NTA already has your data.

• Crypto exchanges in Japan are required to be registered with the FSA IN order to operate – a process which can take up to six months and which imposes stricter requirements around both cybersecurity and data sharing.
• In addition, Japan is a founding FATF member and also belongs to the powerful Asia-Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG), a powerful FATF-style regional body (FSRB) that helps member countries to implement FATF guidelines and also mutually evaluate their efforts.

In 2021, a man was convicted for avoiding crypto taxes for the first time. He was given a year long sentence for violating Income Tax law and fined more than 22 million JPY. All this to say, the Japanese authorities are taking crypto tax evasion seriously!

Crypto is miscellaneous income

Cryptocurrency gains are taxed as Miscellaneous Income in Japan (and taxed at your regular Income Tax bracket?)

Miscellaneous Income refers to income that does not fall under interest income, dividend income, real estate income, business income, salary income, retirement income, forestry income, capital gains, and temporary income.

How much will you pay?

In Japan, the amount of tax you pay on crypto gains depends on the personal Income Tax bracket you're in. 

Japanese crypto investors could pay a maximum of 55% tax on crypto under Income Tax. By contrast, profit made from stocks sit under a different tax category and are taxed at a fixed rate of 20%. If you earn more than 200,000 JPY from crypto - you need to pay Income Tax. If you plan to file taxes for a medical expense deduction or a hometown tax deduction, you must also file any profits from crypto assets even if the amount is 200,000 JPY or less.

• Allowances: If you earn less than 200,000 JPY from investments like crypto and not filing for a tax deduction, you don't need to include your crypto profits as part of your annual Income Tax return.
• Tax rate: Starts at 5% with a maximum of 45%.
• Municipal tax: 10% has to be added at any rate, which ultimately leads to a maximum tax rate of 55%.
• Losses: A crypto loss cannot be deducted from income or other assets. As of now, only losses from real estate, business, asset transfers and forestry income can be deducted from income, and cryptocurrencies do not classify as any of these categories.

Here are some example of when you might be taxed under Miscellaneous Income for transacting with crypto in Japan:

• Selling crypto for any fiat currency, like JPY.
• Exchange crypto for crypto, including stablecoins.
• Buying goods and services with crypto.
• Gifting crypto.
• Getting paid in crypto.
• Earning staking rewards and from rewards from liquidity pools.
• Receiving new coins from forks.
• Mining crypto.
• Airdrops.
• DeFi interest.
• Referral bonus.

How much will you pay in crypto tax?

Crypto is taxed at your regular Income Tax rate in Japan. You can see the different Income Tax rates below:

Source.

Accounting method used

Two cost-basis methods are allowed in Japan, the total average method and the moving average method. Currently, Koinly support the moving average method, also known as ACB.

How to report crypto tax

You can file online or via paper forms.

For paper forms use Form A if you only have employment income, miscellaneous income such as cryptocurrency gains, pensions, dividend income or occasional income, and do not have any estimated tax prepayment.

For online, follow the instructions below:

1. Sign in or register an account with the National Tax Agency.
2. Go to relevant income, then salary (給与).
3. Select miscellaneous income (雑（その他）) then confirm (確定).
4. Answer "do you wish to receive deductions for your home" depending on your situation.
5. Select e-Tax number for your submission method, then next. You can also sync with the My Number Portal Website if you wish.
6. Enter the amount of miscellaneous income in JPY. Profit amount (収入金額): indicates how much you gained or lost.
7. For the category (種目), select crypto asset from the drop down list (暗号資産).
8. Enter name of exchange and its legal address. If you have accumulated profits from more than one exchange , enter the name of one of these entities and then enter (ほか).
9. Fill out the rest of your income tax return according to your personal circumstances.

Tax deadline

The Japanese tax year runs from January 1 to December 31 every year. Taxpayers can file their crypto taxes from 16 February to 15 March.

Who can help you calculate your crypto tax?

Crypto tax reporting is fairly new, and a road less travelled for most accountants. That doesn't mean Japan's NTA is going to cut you any slack. Here are 4 ways you can tackle your crypto taxes and keep in the taxman's good books. We'll start with the easiest and most accurate method first.

1. Use a crypto tax calculator like Koinly to create a report of crypto activity. Send the report to your accountant to complete your tax return.
2. Use a crypto tax calculator like Koinly to create a report of crypto activity. Add the necessary data to your tax return and file it yourself.
3. Get your accountant to work out your crypto activity by supplying transaction histories, statements etc. Let them work it out and file for you.
4. Work out your activity yourself, and file yourself.

Now that you know how to go about calculating and submitting your taxes, let's explore Japan's crypto tax rules in more detail. Here's a breakdown of the most common crypto scenarios and the tax liability they trigger:

Crypto Income Tax examples

Tax free crypto examples

Filing with your Koinly report

Ready to file? Whether you're filing yourself or handing the job over to your accountant, you'll need to start by downloading your crypto activity summary from Koinly.

While the task of preparing your crypto taxes can seem quite daunting - especially if you traded on multiple exchanges - there are tools like Koinly which can make your life really easy. Here's how it works:

1. Connect your exchanges and wallets

Most exchanges have API's that can allow Koinly to download your transaction history automatically. You can also import CSV or excel files with your transaction history if you prefer that (or if your exchange does not have an API).

Once imported you'll have a clear overview of your trades and can use Koinly as a portfolio tracker.

2. Ensure your account settings are correct for Japan.

Your base currency should be JPY. The pre-selected cost-basis method is ACB, which the cost basis method for Japan that Koinly supports.

3. Head over to the Reports page.

Select the date range you need to file for. The Japanese tax year runs from 1 January to 31 December of the same year.

Koinly does a number of things under the hood in order to calculate your capital gains and income. First it fetches the market rates at the time of your trades, then it matches transfers between your wallets and exchange accounts and finally it calculates your capital gains.

4. Select and download your report

Koinly offers many downloadable tax reports. For Japan, the report you need to download is called 'Complete Tax Report'.

Your report will download as a PDF and will contain:

1. Capital gains summary
2. Income summary
3. Asset Summary
4. End of Year Balances
5. Capital Gains Transactions
6. Income Transactions
7. Gifts, donations & lost assets
8. Expenses
9. Data sources

With your summaries calculated, it's time to share your data with the NTA.

The information on this website is for general information only. It should not be taken as constituting professional advice from Koinly. Koinly is not a financial adviser. You should consider seeking independent legal, financial, taxation or other advice to check how the website information relates to your unique circumstances. Koinly is not liable for any loss caused, whether due to negligence or otherwise arising from the use of, or reliance on, the information provided directly or indirectly, by use of this website.