Bitget will stop serving customers in Japan, phasing in account restrictions before forcibly closing any positions still open after Dec. 31, 2026. The exit follows repeated warnings from Japan's Financial Services Agency over unregistered operations in the country.
Bitget said Monday it has stopped accepting new registrations from residents of Japan. Account restrictions begin Nov. 1, and any positions still open on Dec. 31 will be forcibly closed.
The shutdown timeline
Starting Nov. 1, accounts flagged as belonging to Japan residents move into close-only mode, letting users sell existing holdings but blocking new purchases. Bitget is advising its Japan-based users to withdraw their assets promptly ahead of the Dec. 31 cutoff.
Users who believe they were incorrectly classified as Japan residents must complete Level 2 KYC identification, including address verification, by Nov. 1. Anyone who misses that deadline will default to a Japan-resident classification, and Bitget said affected users will receive further instructions by email about managing their assets.
Years of warnings preceded the exit
Japan's Financial Services Agency warned Bitget in March 2023 and again in November 2024 for allegedly providing crypto services to Japan residents without registration. Then, in June 2025, the Kanto Local Finance Bureau warned BTG Technology Holdings Limited — which it said operated under the Bitget name — for soliciting online over-the-counter derivatives transactions without registration.
The FSA's November 2024 warning also named Bybit, KuCoin and MEXC as unregistered platforms operating in Japan. Domestic exchanges such as bitFlyer, Coincheck and GMO Coin continue to operate in the country under FSA registration.
Japan has tightened crypto oversight since the Mt. Gox collapse in 2014 and the Coincheck hack in 2018, both of which happened on Japanese soil. The country is expected to further reclassify digital assets under financial instruments rules by 2026.
Sources: Cointelegraph, Crypto Briefing
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