Bitget will stop providing services to residents of Japan. Its notice is stamped 2026-08-03, 02:00 (no timezone given); from that date new registrations from Japan residents are not accepted. Existing accounts are restricted in stages, not closed at once — Close-Only mode from 1 November 2026, 11:00 GMT+9, then forced closure of all remaining open positions on 31 December 2026, 11:00 GMT+9. Withdrawal continues: crypto and fiat through the Close-Only window, crypto only after 31 December. Bitget publishes no cut-off date for withdrawals — an absence of a stated deadline, not an assurance that none will arrive.
| Date and time (as stated) | What happens |
|---|---|
| 3 Aug 2026 (stamped 02:00) | Announcement published; new registrations from Japan residents stop. |
| 17 Sep 2026 | Per the FAQ, only users notified on or after this date are provisionally treated as Japan residents. |
| 1 Nov 2026, 11:00 GMT+9 | Level 2 (KYC2) auto-classification cut-off; unverified accounts are categorised as Japan-resident. |
| 1 Nov 2026, 11:00 GMT+9 | Close-Only mode. No opening or adding positions. Limited deposits, crypto and fiat withdrawals remain. |
| After 1 Nov 2026 | Level 2 verification can still be completed. |
| 31 Dec 2026, 11:00 GMT+9 | All remaining open positions forcibly closed; card services suspended. |
| After 31 Dec 2026 | Crypto withdrawals remain; no withdrawal deadline stated. |
The 11:00 GMT+9 time appears only in the FAQ; the announcement gives dates without times.
Bitget's stated rationale, verbatim: "As part of our ongoing efforts to keep compliant with Japanese regulations, we have made the decision to cease offering our services to residents of Japan." Next-step and asset-handling instructions are to follow by email later. The 17 September notification date above is the FAQ's own wording, not a commitment that notices go out that day.
Classification is settled and affected accounts switch modes: "You will not be able to open or add new positions or use any products except Deposit (with limitations) and Crypto & Fiat Withdrawals." Named as unavailable: spot trading, futures trading, P2P trading, Convert, Earn (asset management), card services, copy trading and trading bots — a list Bitget does not present as exhaustive. The deposit "limitations" are never defined.
All remaining open positions across all products are forcibly liquidated and card services suspended; neither document says the closing price or timing can be chosen. Crypto withdrawal is then stated to remain available continuously, with funds held in the account until withdrawn and able to go to a self-custodial wallet or another exchange. Fiat withdrawal is named only for the window ending 31 December, and no currency-specific off-ramp for Japan appears anywhere — both documents say only "fiat."
Each item restates something the announcement or the FAQ says.
Bitget is Seychelles-registered and had not been registered with Japan's Financial Services Agency — no source indicates it applied for, held or was refused registration, so there was no licence to lose. Japan's Diet separately passed a bill on 15 July 2026 amending the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act and the Payment Services Act, moving crypto under the statute governing traditional securities, adding insider-trading prohibitions and wider disclosure duties, and raising penalties for unregistered operation from three years' imprisonment to ten and the maximum fine from ¥3,000,000 to ¥10,000,000, expected to take effect in 2027.
The amendment should not be called the cause: Bitget names no specific law, no triggering rule or deadline has been cited in reporting, and no source reports a register-or-exit requirement on offshore exchanges — the link is the press's framing. No FSA statement on the exit has been found; no compensation or refund is offered; affected-user numbers and Japan trading volume are undisclosed. Bybit announced a closely similar Japan wind-down in December 2025, its own announcement not retrieved here.
The account enters Close-Only mode on 1 November; positions still open on 31 December, 11:00 GMT+9 are forcibly closed and card services suspended.
No final deadline is stated. Crypto and fiat withdrawals both run to 31 December 2026; after that, crypto withdrawal is stated to remain.
Every date, time and quotation above comes from these two pages, checked in both language editions.
General information about a change to an exchange's services. Not investment, legal or tax advice, and not a recommendation of any particular service. Confirm dates, times and procedures against the exchange's official notices. Current as of 5 August 2026.
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