Bitcoin Japan shifts from apparel to AI, Bitcoin and rare earths

Bitcoin Japan Corporation raised ¥9.7 billion in July and plans investments across Bitcoin, artificial intelligence, robotics and upstream rare-earth projects. The firm rebranded in 2025 from Marusho Hotta, an apparel company founded in 1861, and established corporate structures in Delaware, the Cayman Islands and Dubai to support cross-border deployments.

The July funding, about $60 million, financed international structures and new investments. The company reported it has custody, multi-signature governance, J-SOX controls and legal and accounting opinions on digital-asset classification and treatment. An Investment Committee reviews new-economy investments against defined return thresholds.

Bitcoin Japan disclosed a stake in SpaceX made through its U.S. subsidiary in May 2026. The firm reported an entry price of $122 per share and a reference valuation near $153 at the end of June 2026. Bitcoin Japan described the holding as long-term exposure to global launch capacity and satellite connectivity. The position will be marked quarterly.

The company holds a position in Figure AI, a developer of humanoid robots for manufacturing, logistics and warehousing. The Figure AI holding is carried at cost. Bitcoin Japan said the investment aligns with a Robotics-as-a-Service business it is building in Tokyo and will be marked quarterly once a reference valuation is available.

About ¥3.2 billion, roughly $20 million, has been earmarked for upstream rare-earth exposure focused on mines and early-stage projects rather than downstream manufacturing. The company cited global refining concentrations, noting China refines an estimated 92% of neodymium-praseodymium and about 98–99% of heavy rare earths, while Japan imports nearly all of its needs. Bitcoin Japan stated rare-earth investments will be phased and subject to standard diligence and return thresholds and that it does not intend to become a traditional mining operator.

The company set aside a defined allocation as a re-raise of previously unfunded Bitcoin capital and reported its digital-asset infrastructure is operational. Phillip Lord, the company’s CEO, said, “The question has never been if; it’s when, and that will be governed by risk-adjusted opportunity, not by short-term sentiment about price.” The firm declined earlier purchases when internal criteria were not met.

Bitcoin Japan said it strengthened controls and governance during the transition from apparel to a technology and investment firm, onboarding an external auditor with digital-asset experience and tightening J-SOX compliance. The legacy apparel business is managed separately with a focus on operational improvement, while investment decisions for the new portfolio follow defined return thresholds and long-horizon timelines for private and long-dated positions.