Launch of Japan’s First* In-Store Payment Using Stablecoin (USDC) at Haneda Airport

Dec 23, 2025

Launch of Japan’s First* In-Store Payment Using Stablecoin (USDC)
at Haneda Airport
Supporting Inbound Tourists with a QR Code-based In-store Trial Service

NETSTARS Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and CEO: Tsuyoshi Ri; hereinafter, “NETSTARS”) will provide a new trial service for payments made using the “USDC” stablecoin, a new electronic money denominated in US dollars, aimed at inbound tourists, at a selection of stores within Terminal 3 of Tokyo International Haneda Airport. The trial service is scheduled to launch soon.
*Based on in-house research regarding the existence of other services

Background of This Initiative
USDC is one of the world’s leading stablecoins, issued in compliance with U.S. law. In July 2025, the “Genius Act,” a law related to stablecoins, was enacted in the United States, and payments made using stablecoins are attracting increased attention. With the issuing of the JPYC, a yen-denominated stablecoin in Japan, global interest toward digital currencies is rising.
As the gateway to Japan’s skies, Haneda Airport is used by large numbers of foreign visitors and is required to respond to travelers’ diverse payment needs. In particular, payments using stablecoins, which are gaining wider adoption overseas, are anticipated to contribute to improved convenience for inbound tourists as well as to the promotion of a cashless society.
Meanwhile, challenges remain on both technological and operational fronts in connecting stablecoins circulated within Web3 systems to real-world in-store payments. This trial service represents a first step toward addressing these challenges.

Contents of Trial Service

For more than a decade, NETSTARS has developed its gateway business, connecting stores with payment service operators, with particular expertise in connectivity with QR code payment services. In recent years, the company has also engaged in research and development of next-generation payment methods in the Web3 domain. NETSTARS has worked on the legal framework required for the social implementation of stablecoin, and will make USDC available to participating merchants by adding it as a supported payment method to NETSTARS’ payment gateway service “StarPay.”
NETSTARS will provide QR codes for stablecoin payments, developed by its partner WEA JAPAN, for in-store payments by users as a solution to the issue of complex administrative costs on the merchant side, which has been one of the barriers to stablecoin payments. This will allow users to show a QR code at the time of payment at participating stores, which will be scanned by the merchant, enabling payment using stablecoins managed by the service users themselves. Similar to NETSTARS’ existing gateway service “StarPay,” participating merchants can scan the payment QR code, provide the merchandise, and handle settlement of sales.

By carrying out this trial service at Haneda Airport, a transport hub that attracts large numbers of inbound tourists, NETSTARS aims to offer a new payment experience to both merchants and users, and to facilitate the easier adoption of stablecoin by merchants as a payment method in future. In addition, Mr. Otoki Shimizu, the lawyer in charge of this project, has confirmed the following in relation to this scheme: “Through analysis of social needs and the results of technological research by the parties involved, this project has successfully clarified the applicable domestic legal framework. The trial service is ready to be launched in a form that strictly complies with the Payment Services Act in particular.”

Comment from Tsuyoshi Ri, Representative Director and CEO of NETSTARS Co., Ltd.
“It’s a great honor for us to work with Japan Airport Terminal Co., Ltd., who constructed, manage and operate Haneda Airport’s passenger terminals, to provide in-store payments using stablecoin, which has become a focus of global interest. NETSTARS has paid attention to the potential of Web3, digital currencies, and the stablecoin concept from an early stage, and we have engaged in multiple research projects and trials.

With the upcoming trial service as the first step, we aim to connect the Web3 to real-world society and deliver new value to as many customers as possible by providing payment gateways in future. Going forward, we will continue to promote the social implementation of stablecoin and contribute to the further development of cashless society.”

Future Outlook
In future, NETSTARS will continue to promote the social implementation of stablecoin based on the results of this trial demonstration, with expansion to other airports and commercial facilities included in its outlook.
NETSTARS will pursue initiatives to construct new payment infrastructures that connect Web3 technologies to real-life society.