Laser Digital Japan Secures Crypto Trading License, Ending 4-Year Gap

The significance lies less in the license itself than in the timing: a four-year registration gap closing suggests Japan's regulator is willing to re-open the door, and that a major brokerage's digital arm is the first through it. That matters for other traditional finance firms that have been watching Japan's stance as a test case for how strict regimes treat crypto. The open question is whether this proves a one-off nod to a well-connected incumbent or the start of a broader pipeline of approvals.