Financial Instruments and Exchange Act

If an authorized firm for on-exchange transactions falls under any of the following items, the Prime Minister may rescind the Article 60, paragraph (1) permission of the authorized firm for on-exchange transactions, order the suspension of all or a part of on-exchange transaction services during a fixed period of no longer than six months, order a change of business methods for on-exchange transaction services, or issue orders with respect to matters that are otherwise necessary from a supervisory perspective:

it comes to fall under Article 60-3, paragraph (1), item (i) (excluding (c) and (j)), or item (ii) or (iii);

it obtains the permission referred to in Article 60, paragraph (1) by wrongful means;

it violates a law or regulation (including a foreign law or regulation) or a disposition by a government agency which is based on a law or regulation, in connection with its on-exchange transaction services or any services incidental to them (excluding if it violates the provisions of Article 46-6, paragraph (2));

in light of the state of its business or assets, it is likely to become insolvent; or

it violates the conditions attached to the permission referred to in Article 60, paragraph (1).

If the domestic representative of an authorized firm for on-exchange transactions (if the authorized firm for on-exchange transactions has a domestic office or other facilities, this includes any officer stationed there) comes to fall under any of the categories set forth in Article 29-4, paragraph (1), item (ii), (a) through(i), or engages in conduct that falls under item (iii) or (v) of the preceding paragraph, the Prime Minister may order the authorized firm for on-exchange transactions to dismiss or remove that domestic representative.

If the Prime Minister rescinds the permission referred to in Article 60, paragraph (1) pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1), or orders the suspension of all or a part of services, the Prime Minister must give public notice of this pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Office Order.

If the Prime Minister decides to issue a disposition pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1) or (2), the Prime Minister must notify the authorized firm for on-exchange transactions of this in writing.

Irrespective of the category of proceeding for hearing statements of opinion under Article 13, paragraph (1) of the Administrative Procedure Act, before seeking to issue a disposition pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1) or (2), the Prime Minister must conduct a hearing.

If, without legitimate grounds for doing so, an authorized firm for on-exchange transactions does not commence business within three months of the day on which it is permitted to begin engaging in on-exchange transaction services, or suspends business for three months or more continually, the Prime Minister may rescind the Article 60, paragraph (1) permission of that authorized firm for on-exchange transactions.

If the Prime Minister decides to issue a disposition based on the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the Prime Minister must notify the authorized firm for on-exchange transactions of this in writing.

If an authorized firm for on-exchange transactions is dissolved or on-exchange transaction services are discontinued, the authorized firm for on-exchange transactions is deemed to still have Article 60, paragraph (1) permission, inasmuch as the task of completing on-exchange transactions is concerned.

When the Prime Minister finds it to be necessary and appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors, the Prime Minister may order an authorized firm for on-exchange transactions, a person that conducts transactions with an authorized firm for on-exchange transactions, or the person that an authorized firm for on-exchange transactions has entrusted with its business (including a person that has received entrustment from the person (including entrustment at two or more degrees of separation from the original entrustment); hereinafter the same applies in this Article), to submit reports or materials that should serve as a reference with regard to the on-exchange transaction services or assets of that authorized firm for on-exchange transactions, and may have the relevant officials inspect the state of on-exchange transaction services provided by an authorized firm for on-exchange transactions, the state of its assets, or its books, documents, and any other articles (but may only have the relevant officials inspect the person that an authorized firm for on-exchange transactions has entrusted with its business as is necessary in connection with the state of the business or assets of the authorized firm for on-exchange transactions).

In liquidation proceedings, bankruptcy proceedings, rehabilitation proceedings, reorganization proceedings, or recognition and assistance proceedings in Japan for an authorized firm for on-exchange transactions (including one that is deemed to have been granted the permission referred to in Article 60, paragraph (1), as prescribed in Article 60-10), the court may request the opinion of, or an inspection or investigation by, the Prime Minister.

If the Prime Minister finds it to be necessary, the Prime Minister may state an opinion to the court during the proceedings prescribed in the preceding paragraph.

The provisions of the preceding Article apply mutatis mutandis if the Prime Minister receives an inspection or investigation request from the court pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1).

The provisions of Article 35-3 apply mutatis mutandis to on-exchange transaction services related to high-speed trading conducted by an authorized firm for on-exchange transactions, and the provisions of Article 36-3; Article 38 (limited to the part that involves items (viii) and (ix)); and Article 40 (limited to the part that involves item (ii)) apply mutatis mutandis to the on-exchange transaction services of an authorized firm for on-exchange transactions.

A person that is governed by the laws and regulations of a foreign country and conducts over-the-counter derivatives transactions, etc. on a regular basis in a foreign country, that falls under neither financial instruments business operator nor financial institution (meaning a bank, cooperative financial institution or other financial institutions specified by Cabinet Order) may, in cases where the person conducts the relevant acts to a person engaged in securities-related business as the counterparty or any other cases similar thereto specified by Cabinet Order, notwithstanding the provisions of Article 29 and Article 58-2, with the permission of the Prime Minister, engage in specified over-the-counter derivatives transactions, or their intermediation, brokerage (excluding brokerage for clearing of securities, etc.) or agency on a regular basis, using the electronic data processing system used by it for its business of over-the-counter derivatives transactions, etc. (referred to as "business of conducting electronic over-the-counter derivatives transactions, etc." in the following paragraph).

The provisions of Article 60, paragraphs (2) through (4), Article 60-2 (excluding paragraph (1), items (iv), (vii) and (x)) and Article 60-3 (excluding paragraph (1), item (i), (d) and item (iii)) apply mutatis mutandis to the permission prescribed in the preceding paragraph and the provisions of Article 40-7, paragraph (2) and Article 60-4 to the preceding Article apply mutatis mutandis to business of conducting electronic over-the-counter derivatives transactions, etc. conducted by a person that has obtained the permission prescribed in the preceding paragraph (hereinafter referred to as a "business operator authorized to conduct electronic over-the-counter derivatives transactions, etc."). In this case, the phrase "a person that used the electronic data processing system pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, with regard to the specified over-the-counter derivatives transactions conducted using the relevant electronic data processing system" in Article 40-7, paragraph (2) is deemed to be replaced with a "business operator authorized to conduct electronic over-the-counter derivatives transactions, etc. prescribed in Article 60-14, paragraph (2) is, with regard to the specified over-the-counter derivatives transactions conducted using the electronic data processing system used for its business of over-the-counter derivatives transactions"; and any other necessary technical replacement of terms is specified by Cabinet Order.

Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 29, a corporation incorporated based on foreign laws and regulations or an individual domiciled in a foreign country and engaged in investment advisory business in a foreign country (other than one that obtained the registration referred to in Article 29), may engage in investment advisory business with a financial instruments business operator that is engaged in investment management business or a person specified by Cabinet Order as the counterparty.

Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 29, a corporation incorporated based on foreign laws and regulations and engaged in investment management business in a foreign country (limited to the business of performing the act set forth in Article 2, paragraph (8), item (xii) based on a discretionary investment contract; hereinafter the same applies in this paragraph) (excluding persons with Article 29 registration other than for investment advisory and agency business among the categories of businesses prescribed in Article 29-2, paragraph (1), item (v)) may engage in investment management business, but only with a financial instruments business operator that is engaged in investment management business or a person specified by Cabinet Order as the counterparty.

Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 29, a corporation incorporated based on foreign laws and regulations and engaged in investment management business in a foreign country (limited to the business of performing the act set forth in Article 2, paragraph (8), item (xv)) (excluding persons with Article 29 registration other than for investment advisory and agency business among the categories of businesses prescribed in Article 29-2, paragraph (1), item (v)) may engage in investment management business (limited to the business specified in Article 2, paragraph (8), item (xv)), but only with a financial instruments business operator that is engaged in investment management business or a person specified by Cabinet Order as the counterparty. In such a case, the provisions of Article 63, paragraph (2) and Article 63-3, paragraphs (1) and (3) do not apply.

The provisions of Section 2, Subsections 1 and 3 of this Chapter do not apply to cases where a person that is subject to the provisions of the preceding two paragraphs and has obtained registration under Article 29 only for investment advisory and agency business among the categories of businesses prescribed in Article 29-2, paragraph (1), item (v) engages in a business that the person is allowed to engage in under the provisions of the preceding two paragraphs.

Before seeking to establish a representative office or any other facility in Japan for the purpose of collecting or providing information on the securities market and the market of financial indexes of securities, or to conduct other services related to financial instruments business, etc. which are specified by Cabinet Office Order (including before seeking to conduct the relevant business in a facility established for other purposes), a foreign securities services provider (including a person specified by Cabinet Office Order whose business is closely related to securities services; hereinafter the same applies in this Article) or a person that engages in investment advisory business or investment management business in a foreign country (excluding persons with Article 29 or Article 33-2 registration; hereinafter the same applies in this Article) must notify the Prime Minister of its business outline and the location of that facility, and of any other matters specified by Cabinet Office Order.

When the Prime Minister finds it to be necessary and appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors, the Prime Minister may order a foreign securities services provider or a person that conducts investment advisory business or investment management business in a foreign country to submit reports or materials concerning the business set forth in the preceding paragraph.

If a foreign securities services provider or a person that conducts investment advisory business or investment management business in a foreign country discontinues the facility or the services referred to in paragraph (1), or if it changes a matter of which it has provided notification pursuant to the provisions of that paragraph, it must notify the Prime Minister of this without delay.

A foreign cryptoasset trading business operator (meaning a person other than a financial instruments business operator that conducts cryptoasset trading business in a foreign state in accordance with foreign laws and regulations) must not perform any act set forth in the items of Article 28, paragraph (5) with a person in Japan as the counterparty; provided, however, that this does not apply if the counterparty is a financial instruments business operator (limited to one that conducts cryptoasset trading business) or in any other case specified by Cabinet Order.