In order to prevent money laundering and other criminal activity, Japan’s Financial Services Agency, is quietly pressuring cryptocurrency exchanges to give up handling Monero (XMR), Zcash (ZEC), and Dash (DASH) and other cryptocurrencies favored by criminals and hackers. Sources close to the FSA confirmed that they were taking all available steps to discourage the use of certain alternative virtual currencies that have become attractive to the underworld because they are difficult to track. In September of last year, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, Europol, released a report that warned “other cryptocurrencies such as Monero, Ethereum and Zcash are gaining popularity within the digital underground.” Criminals, who were some of the earliest adopters of Bitcoin, have increasingly dropped that cryptocurrency for transactions in favor of Monero and other less traceable "altcoins."
According to the Japanese authorities, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to identify the recipients of currencies like Monero via a blockchain or any other public ledger. The anonymity makes the coins ideal for money laundering. The blockchain (public ledger) for bitcoin, makes it possible for seasoned investigators to follow the money. Increasingly, cyber criminals choose these new "privacy coins" when they demand ransom payments or engage in sales of illegal goods．
The FSA is particularly adverse to Monero, especially after it was reported in January that North Korea may be mining the currency to raise funds.

This announcement came about due to cited increased operational costs, and Japan’s increasing regulation of the cryptocurrency market may have also been a factor.