Japanese Electronics Retail Giant Launches Bitcoin Payments

Major Japanese electronics retailer Yamada Denki is partnering with the BitFlyer exchange to trial bitcoin payment in two of its stores.

AccessTimeIconJan 29, 2018 at 12:15 p.m. UTC
Updated Aug 18, 2021 at 8:02 p.m. UTC

Presented By Icon

Election 2024 coverage presented by

Stand with crypto

Major Japanese consumer electronics retailer Yamada Denki has partnered with cryptocurrency exchange bitFlyer to add a bitcoin payments service in two of its stores.

Launched this weekend, according to a press release, one of the stores to receive the new service is based in Shinjuku, an area of Tokyo that attracts large numbers of foreign visitors. The other store is adjacent to Tokyo's main business district.

  • Bitcoin Mining in the U.S. Will Become 'a Lot More Decentralized': Core Scientific CEO
    13:18
    Bitcoin Mining in the U.S. Will Become 'a Lot More Decentralized': Core Scientific CEO
  • Binance to Discontinue Its Nigerian Naira Services After Government Scrutiny
    05:10
    Binance to Discontinue Its Nigerian Naira Services After Government Scrutiny
  • The first video of the year 2024
    04:07
    The first video of the year 2024
  • The last regression video of the year 3.67.0
    40:07
    The last regression video of the year 3.67.0
  • The company said:

    "In addition to diversifying [our services], we will implement initiatives to improve bitcoin recognition and usage promotion."

    With the launch of the bitcoin payment system, the company indicated it aims to respond to the diverse needs of its customers both in Japan and overseas. "We believe that we can provide improved service and convenience," it said.

    Yamada Denki has set the settlement limit of bitcoins equivalent to 300,000 Japanese yen ($2,760) per account. Bitcoin is trading around $11,200 (1,218,016 JPY) at the time of writing, according to CoinDesk's Bitcoin Price Index.

    The moves comes after another Japanese electronics retailer, Bic Camera, said last April that it will test a new point-of-sale system (PoS) that will allow customers to purchase goods with bitcoin, also in partnership with with bitFlyer. Later in July, the firm said that it is expanding a bitcoin payment option to all of its stores nationwide.

    And, in August, Tokyo-based Marui, a department store chain, tested bitcoin payments at one of its locations in Shinjuku. The trial set a cap of ¥100,000 (about $900) on bitcoin transactions.

    Disclaimer: CoinDesk is a subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which has an ownership stake in bitFlyer.

    Editor's Note: Statements in this article have been translated from Japanese.

    Yamada storefront image via Shutterstock

    Disclosure

    Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information have been updated.

    CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk has adopted a set of principles aimed at ensuring the integrity, editorial independence and freedom from bias of its publications. CoinDesk is part of the Bullish group, which owns and invests in digital asset businesses and digital assets. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive Bullish group equity-based compensation. Bullish was incubated by technology investor Block.one.


    Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.