Bitget notified users Sunday that it will stop offering services to residents of Japan. New account registrations from Japan stopped the same day. For existing accounts, the timeline is specific: anyone flagged as a Japan resident who hasn’t completed Level 2 identity verification (proof of address, KYC2) by November 1 gets auto-classified as one. According to Bitget’s Japanese-language announcement of the notice, Japan-classified accounts move into a close-only mode from that date: no new positions, no additions to open ones, and no access to spot, futures, P2P, Convert, Earn, card services, copy trading, or bots, though limited deposits and withdrawals stay open.
【日本居住者の皆様への大切なお知らせ】
平素よりBitgetをご利用いただき、誠にありがとうございます。
日本におけるコンプライアンス遵守及び関連する制度を総合的に踏まえ、日本居住者の皆様へのサービス提供を終了し、アカウントの制限を段階的に実施させていただくことが決定いたしました。…— Bitget 【ビットゲット】🌏✨ (@BitgetJP) August 3, 2026
Four Years of Warnings Behind This Week’s Exit
Bitget’s relationship with Japan’s Financial Services Agency goes back further, and involves more direct action, than a single warning. The FSA published its first warning notice against Bitget Limited on March 31, 2023, over operating an unregistered crypto exchange business under Japan’s Payment Services Act. That warning didn’t visibly change anything. Bitget kept its Japan-facing service running for the next 15 months. On November 28, 2024, the FSA escalated with a second, joint warning naming Bitget alongside KuCoin, Bitcastle, Bybit, and MEXC in the same notice. Then in February 2025, enforcement moved from paper to a technical measure: the FSA asked Apple and Google to remove Bitget’s app, along with the other four named exchanges’, from Japan’s app stores, a step reported at the time to have blocked new downloads without affecting existing installs or browser access. Bitget’s chief legal officer, Hon Ng, said at the time that the company was:
“actively working with Apple and relevant regulators to resolve this issue.”
FSA already issued warning in June 2025, over unregistered financial-instruments-business activity. What’s consistent across the record: three years of warnings and one access restriction preceded this week’s full exit, with nothing in that record showing Bitget securing registration or otherwise resolving the underlying issue in between.
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| March 31, 2023 | FSA warning notice against Bitget Limited (unregistered exchange business) |
| November 28, 2024 | FSA joint warning naming Bitget, KuCoin, Bitcastle, Bybit, MEXC |
| February 2025 | FSA-requested Apple/Google app-store removal |
| June 2025 | Reported additional warning, financial-instruments-business activity |
| August 3, 2026 | Full service cessation announced |
Bitget Isn’t the First to Reach This Endpoint
Bitget isn’t the only exchange the FSA’s 2025 app-store action was aimed at. Bybit, named in that same February 2025 request, was reported to have gone through a closely similar sequence starting in October 2025: a registration freeze, a KYC2 deadline set for January 22, 2026, then gradual account restrictions. Neither exchange stopped at partial restriction as a lasting state; both moved from a partial measure to a full account shutdown within roughly a year of the shared 2025 action. The other three exchanges named in that request (MEXC, LBank, KuCoin) haven’t been reported taking either step.
Two Different Deadlines, Depending on Your KYC Status
Users correctly identified as Japan residents face the restriction timeline described above, with no indication from Bitget of an appeals path beyond the KYC2 window. Users who believe they were misclassified, likely non-Japan residents flagged by IP, device, or account-registration signals, have until November 1 to prove otherwise via KYC2, after which the classification becomes effectively permanent regardless of accuracy. Bitget says further account-management instructions will go out by email as the deadlines approach; none of that guidance has been published yet.
FAQ
- Can Japan-based users still withdraw funds after the restrictions start?
Yes. Bitget’s notice states withdrawals remain available even in close-only mode; it’s new positions and most other products that get locked. - What happens if I don’t complete KYC2 by November 1?
Your account gets automatically classified as belonging to a Japan resident, regardless of whether that’s accurate, and the restriction timeline applies from there. - Where can I find Bitget’s full account-management instructions?
Bitget says these will go out by email as the November and December deadlines approach; see Bitget’s own FAQ page for further detail as it’s updated.
Whether Bitget Follows Binance’s Path Back Is Still Unanswered
Not every exchange exit from Japan has been final. At least one industry account has described Binance withdrawing from Japan and later returning with a fully licensed local entity in 2023, though that history hasn’t been independently confirmed here. Neither Bitget nor Bybit has said publicly whether registration and a licensed return are under consideration, or whether this is intended as a permanent exit. Absent a stated position from either company or from the FSA on what a return path would require, that remains unresolved.
AI Disclosure: Cryip uses AI-assisted tools to help refine language — correcting spelling and grammar and simplifying complex terms for readability.
We do this to make crypto topics easier to understand for readers at all experience levels. AI does not draft facts, sources, or conclusions. Every article is reviewed and approved by a human editor before publication. Read our full AI Use & Content Policy.
