On July 31, SEC Commissioner Atkins announced a push to conduct stock and bond trading on-chain—a shift from paper to electronic, and now to blockchain. If this truly takes hold, not only equities and bonds but also currencies, points, and fractional real estate could be tokenized, moving freely 24/7 with just a smartphone. It reads like a signal for a third great transition in market infrastructure.

What struck me most is the American soil that makes this possible: the bias for action, the freedom from fixed ideas, and the openness to new frames. Even regulators articulate a future, throw the ball to the private sector, and invite iteration. This cultural speed—“try first, learn fast, try again”—doesn’t just create products; it creates markets and then the rules that govern them.

As on-chain finance matures, our awareness of “using blockchain” will fade. Transfers will finalize in seconds, fees will shrink, market hours will disappear. Corporate actions, payouts, point systems, and digital ownership will settle automatically in the background. Like the internet before it, blockchain will become infrastructure, almost like air—present, essential, and largely unnoticed.

Companies are already moving. Coinbase is expanding its L2, Base, and Robinhood is exploring its own chain—early signs of a race to become the default on-chain securities platform. Still, the deeper lesson isn’t short-term stock picking; it’s the culture that imagines a future and then builds it, cycle after cycle. Soil → market → stronger soil. That feedback loop is America’s strength.

Japan, by contrast, often moves carefully—valuing safety, harmony, and regulatory consistency. Those are real strengths, but they can slow bold bets. The strategy, then, is to choose the right fronts: link Japan’s excellence in experience design, craftsmanship, continuous improvement, and community building to on-chain rails. Don’t hesitate to pilot in the U.S. and reimport. Engage regulators early, and turn transparency and safety into advantages. Build the soil while you build the products.

Individual investors can act the same way. Instead of chasing “what might pop,” align small, steady allocations with platforms and companies that match your vision of the future. Use to learn: set up a wallet, try a tiny transfer, touch an on-chain app. Read primary sources. Write in your own words. Don’t just optimize tactics; keep asking why society needs this. That habit is what compounds financial—and intellectual—literacy.

In the end, technologies become “real” when they become invisible. When blockchain dissolves into the background as public infrastructure, the people who created the most value will be those who started early, tested small, learned continuously, and kept thinking. Learn from America’s “try it” spirit, execute with Japan’s unique strengths, and keep iterating. That mindset, more than any single trade, is what will shape the next decade.

“The X account of Solana-based meme coin launchpad Pump.fun was suspended on Monday, along with a host of other crypto accounts removed from the platform without explanation.” (Source: Decrypt – “Pump.fun’s X Account Suspended Along With Other Crypto Profiles”)

This event highlights a fundamental truth about the world of Web2.0 — a single decision by a platform can silence an individual or project’s voice overnight.

What is Web2.0?

Web2.0 refers to a digital environment where users join platforms like Google, Amazon, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter), create content, and use various services. These services often feel “free,” but in reality, we’re exchanging our personal data and activity history in return.

• Platforms have full control over user data

• If they decide you’ve violated their terms, your account can be removed

• Continuation of service depends entirely on the judgment of a single company

The sudden suspension of Pump.fun’s X account is a perfect example of the vulnerability that comes with centralized control in Web2.0.

What is Web3.0?

Web3.0, on the other hand, is built on decentralized blockchain networks with no central authority.

• Your account is controlled by your blockchain wallet

• It’s highly resistant to censorship

• Data is stored in a shared data layer accessible by anyone

• Users can contribute to and earn from projects via tokens

Take Ethereum, for example — its protocol standards (like ERC-20) allow smart contracts to be combined like Lego blocks. This creates an environment where new dApps can be developed rapidly, and value flows not only to applications, but also to the underlying protocol layer.

Value Has Shifted — Protocol Over Apps

Here lies a major difference between Web2.0 and Web3.0 — where the value lies.

In Web2.0, protocols like HTTP or TCP/IP were just invisible infrastructure. Most people didn’t even think about them. Value and competition were all about the application layer — the services you actually used.

Apps in Web2.0 captured user data and created “switching costs” to lock users in.

In contrast, Web3.0 assumes open access to shared data. Any developer can use this open data to build new services. That’s why protocols like Ethereum that make this possible can become more valuable than individual apps built on top of them.

This reversal of value dynamics — where protocol gains more importance than the app — is unique to Web3.0.

What We Can Learn from This Incident

Returning to the Decrypt story, the Pump.fun incident revealed a harsh reality: Web2.0 platforms can silence users at will.

That’s why Web3.0 emphasizes these three key values:

• Self-sovereign identity You own and manage your identity — not a company.

• Open infrastructure Built and shared by the community, not controlled by a single provider.

• Censorship resistance No one can just delete your presence or shut you down.

Web3.0 still faces challenges — like complicated UI/UX and technical barriers. But as a future-proof option, I truly believe it’s worth exploring.

Start small. Use a wallet like MetaMask. Try out a few dApps. Build your on-chain history — your reputation in the Web3 world.

Because in the era of Web3.0, your reputation may very well become your greatest asset.

Why? Because I don’t see investing as a mere means to chase short-term profits.

Of course, it's exciting to see numbers rise and gains accumulate — that feeling of success is real. But even though maximizing returns is certainly a goal of investing, I can’t help but feel that it’s not the essence of what investing is truly about.

This feeling became particularly strong for me when I began investing in cryptocurrency.

In the crypto space, many people seem to jump in simply because the buzz is growing or because someone told them “prices are going to keep rising.” But somewhere deep down, we all pause and ask, “Why crypto, though?”

That question, I believe, is incredibly important. Instead of being swept up in the hype, I think it's more important to learn about cryptocurrency and use it as an opportunity to improve our financial literacy.

Personally, I don’t see crypto as a “high-growth asset” to gamble on. Rather, I see it as an entry point into exploring new forms of money and value.

If we’re going to step through that doorway, then at the very least, we should understand the basics of how the current financial system works: things like central banks, currency issuance, inflationary policies, and sovereign debt management.

In other words, crypto isn’t just an investment asset. It can also be a response to, or even a critique of, the current structure of traditional finance.

Let’s take a quick look at Japanese history.

During World War II, the Japanese government needed massive funding for military expenditure. But rather than raising taxes directly — which would have caused public backlash — the government issued an enormous amount of war bonds.

The Bank of Japan ended up purchasing much of these bonds, essentially printing more money. The result? Post-war hyperinflation that erased the value of people’s savings almost overnight.

Though this might seem like a story from a bygone era, the reality is this: Governments still have the power to manipulate the value of currency — and they do.

Encountering cryptocurrency made me realize something: We’ve been putting blind faith in fiat money without really questioning it. Maybe now is the time to reassess that assumption.

Unlike in the past, we now have access to a new kind of asset: cryptocurrencies, which exist outside the reach of government or central bank control.

I believe more and more people in Japan — and around the world — will begin to recognize crypto as a hedge against inflation and a legitimate form of value storage.

In Japan, cryptocurrency has long been seen as little more than a speculative asset. But I suspect we’re approaching a turning point, where crypto could become more widely adopted by the general public.

In fact, companies around the world have already started converting part of their assets into Bitcoin. And perhaps it’s not just companies — maybe everyday people across the globe are doing the same.

Importantly, the technology behind crypto — blockchain — is not simply “a money-making innovation.” It's a system built on the principle of self-custody and decentralization, where you manage your own assets, on your own responsibility.

If you find that idea fascinating or empowering, then investing in crypto might be the right path for you.

Investing is not about beating others. It's about choosing your own future.

It's not about hitting the jackpot or out-earning your peers. True investing, to me, is about:

• Thinking for yourself,

• Taking responsibility for your own risks,

• And ultimately being able to look back and say: “That was my decision — and I’m proud of it.”

Through crypto, I was able to come back to that essential question: What does it truly mean to invest?

And now, blockchain is becoming “the norm” in certain corners of the world — quietly, steadily. That’s why I want to stay grounded and focused, not swayed by price fluctuations or media hype.

I want to keep learning — about people, companies, ideas, and technologies. And if I find something with real potential, something that resonates with my hopes for the future, then I, too — just an ordinary individual — can choose to invest in it.

Maybe that is what investing is really about.

2025年5月27日。僕は初めて「Web3.0」の世界に本格的に足を踏み入れました。

MetaMaskの導入から始まり、ENSドメイン（kiyoshi001.eth）の取得、NFTアバターの発行、そしてこのMirrorブログでの初投稿。

正直、思ったよりも苦戦しました。ガス代が足りない、アイコンが変わらない……

何度も、何度も、行き詰るたびに、ChatGPTにPC画面のスクリーンショットを提示して解決方法を教えてもらいました。

このような感じで、一つひとつ問題をクリアするたびに、なぜか少しずつ「自分の世界」がWeb上に構築されていくような感覚がありました。

これからもWEB3.0の世界を探求しながら、僕の試行錯誤の記録を残していこうと思います。

Web3.0、楽しい。そう思える第一歩でした。

次回もどうぞお楽しみに。

May 27, 2025 — Today, I took my first real step into the world of Web3.0.

Starting with the setup of MetaMask, I registered my ENS domain (kiyoshi001.eth), minted my first NFT avatar, and now, I'm writing this very first post on Mirror.

Honestly, it was more challenging than I expected. I ran out of gas fees, and my profile icon wouldn’t update…

Over and over again, whenever I got stuck, I showed screenshots of my PC screen to ChatGPT and asked for help—and it guided me through every issue.

Little by little, as I solved each problem, I began to feel as if I was building my own world on the Web.

I’ll keep exploring this exciting new realm of Web3.0 and documenting my trial-and-error journey here.

Web3.0 is fun. That’s what I truly felt today.

Stay tuned for the next post!