Bitget Japan exit: accounts face forced liquidation by December 31
Bitget is shutting the door on Japan. The world’s fifth-largest crypto exchange by trading volume has begun a staged exit from the Japanese market, a move that traces directly back to a tightening web of regulation that made staying put far riskier than leaving. The Bitget Japan exit unfolds over several months, with new account sign-ups already frozen, trading restrictions arriving in November, and a hard deadline by year-end that will force the closure of any positions still open.
Key takeaways
- Bitget halted new registrations from Japanese residents on August 3, 2026, the first step in a phased withdrawal from the country.
- Starting November 1, 2026, at 11 a.m. JST, Japan-linked accounts will enter close-only mode, losing access to spot trading, futures, P2P, copy trading, and more.
- Any positions still open by December 31, 2026 will be forcibly liquidated at market prices, with card services suspended the same day.
- Japan’s parliament reclassified Bitcoin and 104 other cryptocurrencies as financial instruments on July 15, 2026, with the broader law taking effect in fiscal 2027.
- A related provision raising criminal penalties for unregistered exchange operators, effective around August 4-5, 2026, pushed maximum prison terms to ten years and fines to ¥10 million.
Bitget Ends Services for Japanese Residents
Bitget’s decision to pull out of Japan comes down to compliance math that stopped adding up. According to a company notice cited by CoinDesk, the exchange said it would stop providing crypto trading services to Japanese residents to comply with local regulations, without naming a specific regulatory trigger.
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