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Lawson to test stablecoin payments at Tokyo stores in August

Lawson to test stablecoin payments at Tokyo stores in August

The convenience store chain will trial JPYC, USDC and USDT payments through existing POS registers at two Tokyo locations, with invited participants only.

USDT
USDC

Fact Check
The official Lawson press release confirms all core elements of the claim: a stablecoin POS payment trial at two Tokyo stores using existing POS registers, invitation/relations-only, in August 2026, covering JPYC, USDC, and USDT. CoinPost and BigGo Finance corroborate. One nuance: all three stablecoins (JPYC, USDC, USDT) are supported only at the Aug 17 Osaki Atrium store, while the Aug 6 Takanawa Gateway City store tests JPYC alone. This is a minor detail that does not undermine the claim's overall accuracy.
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Summary

Lawson said it will begin proof-of-concept tests for stablecoin payments at two Tokyo stores, confirming dates and payment details after flagging the plan in July. The first trial is set for Aug. 6 at the Lawson Takanawa Gateway City store using JPYC, a yen-pegged stablecoin, through HashPort Wallet. A second test will follow on Aug. 17 at the Lawson Gate City Osaki Atrium store, where payments will be verified using MetaMask and support JPYC as well as the U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoins USDC and USDT. Both trials are restricted to invited participants. Lawson said the setup is the first stablecoin payment trial in Japan integrated with point-of-sale register systems and uses existing POS hardware to scan payment barcodes, avoiding dedicated terminals or QR displays. The company will assess system integration, settlement flows, store operations and processing times, and said it may expand the payment method depending on the results.

Terms & Concepts
  • stablecoin: A cryptocurrency designed to hold a steady value by pegging to a fiat currency or other asset.
  • point-of-sale (POS) register: A retail checkout system used to process purchases and payments in stores.
  • MetaMask: A cryptocurrency wallet used to manage digital assets and interact with blockchain-based services.