Why I keep engaging with Bitcoin
Director's messageKishin Kato, Director (Co-founder), Japan Bitcoin Industry Co., Ltd.
My first encounter with Bitcoin
I first learned about Bitcoin at the end of 2016. I was studying at the University of Chicago, living back and forth between Japan and the United States. Every time I moved money between the two countries, the costs piled up — exchange fees, remittance fees — and it frustrated me. When I learned Bitcoin existed, I opened exchange accounts in both Japan and the U.S. Compared with international wire transfers, being able to send money simply and at low cost was very attractive. I had also long questioned the framework of the nation-state, so Bitcoin — an existence unbound by borders — struck me as fascinating and full of possibility.
Why I keep engaging with Bitcoin
At first I was interested not only in Bitcoin but in various altcoins as well. But as I actually researched and used them, I came across internal information about the operator of one altcoin and realized there was genuine malice toward holders and investors — and I grew distrustful of altcoins in general. Conversely, that was the occasion that made me newly aware of the strength of Bitcoin, which has no specific operating entity. My early interest in Bitcoin as a means of transfer, and in multisig, turned out to be the thread that led me to the Lightning Network — I think that is one reason my interest in Bitcoin has lasted so long.
The philosophy and outlook Bitcoin gave me
Until I met Bitcoin, the core of my own thinking was hard to grasp and I could not articulate it well. But as I kept studying Bitcoin's mechanics and background, what I felt uneasy about, and what I wanted to hold dear, gradually came into order. I consider Bitcoin the thing that gave me a philosophy. In the process I became strongly conscious of one premise: human beings are weak against the temptation to bend currencies and institutions to their convenience. That is why, for me, Bitcoin is "the ultimately fair existence that compensates for human weakness."
Why Japan — and my role as director
In researching Bitcoin I am in daily contact with information from overseas, and precisely because of that I feel strongly the significance of focusing on Japan. To spread Bitcoin here requires adjustment grounded in premises particular to Japan — its regulation and culture. People who can bridge overseas information and Japanese regulation and culture are scarce, and I consider that bridge one of my roles. I also see my role as guarding the company's direction in how it faces Bitcoin: not being swept along by short-term profit, but accumulating judgments that respect Bitcoin's philosophy and culture — which, in the end, builds the company's credibility too.
To those who face Bitcoin with us
Working on Bitcoin means more than simply making a job of what you love. It is also a form of resistance against the reality in which the arbitrary operation of fiat currencies distorts capitalism and at times even leads to human rights violations. If you love Bitcoin and want to contribute to its adoption in Japan through your own skills, we would like to work with you.
Director (Co-founder)
Kishin Kato
Studied GIS and computer science at the University of Chicago, earning a bachelor's degree. Began his career in 2017, while still enrolled, with research and presentations on Bitcoin's technical side, and has built experimental services using the Lightning Network. What he loves about Bitcoin: liberation from entanglements.