Lawson will launch Japan's first point-of-sale integrated stablecoin payment trial in August at its Takanawa Gateway City store in Tokyo's Minato Ward. The pilot will use JPYC, Japan's regulated yen-pegged stablecoin, with collaboration from HashPort, KDDI, Lawson and Canal Payment Service. Participants will use HashPort Wallet to display a barcode scanned at the register, with the JPYC balance updated based on transaction information. The trial will evaluate POS integration requirements, checkout operations, payment processing time and wallet usability.
JPYC was registered in 2025 as a Payment Services Act fund transfer service provider and issues yen-denominated stablecoins fully convertible to yen. The choice of JPYC reflects Japan's more formal stablecoin regime, with the company aiming to issue 10 trillion yen, or about $66 billion, over three years. The trial represents Japan's shift from stablecoin issuance toward real-world payment experimentation in retail settings.