Japan’s Lawson to Pilot JPYC Stablecoin Payments at Convenience Stores

Lawson, Japan’s third largest convenience store chain, will launch a pilot program for JPYC stablecoin payments at a store in Tokyo’s Takanawa Gateway City, Nikkei. HashPort, a digital asset infrastructure provider, is the project’s technology partner.

Customers will be able to pay for purchases using a crypto wallet within a mobile app. Transactions will be processed through the store’s existing point-of-sale terminals without changing the standard checkout process. At checkout, cashiers will scan a customer’s QR code or barcode, allowing the system to authorize the payment and automatically update the customer’s JPYC balance.

Lawson said the pilot is intended to evaluate whether stablecoins can operate within existing retail payment infrastructure. Integration with the company’s point-of-sale system also preserves standard operational records, including sales data, transaction timestamps, and inventory management.

During the pilot, Lawson will assess several key metrics:

• integration stability with point-of-sale terminals;
• payment processing speed;
• ease of use for both customers and store employees.

Once the pilot concludes, the company will decide whether to expand the payment option to additional locations.

Industry observers said stablecoins could reduce merchants’ payment processing costs compared with credit cards and other cashless payment methods. If the pilot proves successful, it could accelerate the adoption of yen-backed stablecoins in Japan’s retail sector and expand their use beyond money transfers.

JPYC launched in October 2025 as Japan’s first fully regulated yen-backed stablecoin under the country’s updated legal framework. In March 2026, Sony Bank, one of Japan’s largest regional digital banks, integrated JPYC into its infrastructure, allowing customers to purchase the token directly from their bank accounts.