日本防制洗錢犯罪之介紹

An Overview of Japan’s Anti-Money Laundering Legislation

「洗錢」是指犯罪者將非法所得轉化為合法資金，隱藏犯罪行為，以享有犯罪利益。此行為在國際間被視為跨國性犯罪，因此多國簽署《聯合國禁毒公約》等法案，開啟了全球反洗錢法制的進程。1988年起，日本依據《維也納公約》逐步實施防制洗錢的行政命令，要求金融機構報告可疑交易，並設立了相關法規，包括《組織性犯罪之處罰暨犯罪收益規範法》、《本人確認法》及《防止犯罪收益轉移法》，建立了完整的反洗錢監管體系。 在法律演變上，1999年《組織性犯罪之處罰暨犯罪收益規範法》擴大了洗錢犯罪的範疇，並加強了對重大犯罪的懲罰。2007年起施行的《防止犯罪收益轉移法》將多項可疑交易報告義務整合，並強化反洗錢預防措施，形成「預防—懲治」雙軸監管模式。日本持續依據國際防制洗錢行動工作組（Financial Action Task Force,簡稱：FATF）的建議，修訂法規以滿足全球標準。2014年起，面對FATF的第三輪互評，日本進一步加強監管，尤其針對虛擬貨幣制定法規，將加密貨幣業者納入監管範疇。 然而，日本的反洗錢法制仍面臨挑戰，主要包括：義務主體的合規意識薄弱、監管強度不均、對數位金融創新的應對緩慢等。許多中小型金融機構對反洗錢意識不足，且在面對外國資產制裁措施時欠缺應對。由於FATF的新標準，非金融部門（如律師等）反洗錢義務的執行效果受到挑戰。此外，日本在反洗錢科技方面的進展緩慢，面臨著新技術發展帶來的挑戰，需依賴區塊鏈、大數據等技術以應對日益複雜的洗錢手法。 整體而言，日本反洗錢體系逐步成熟，但仍需針對執行效果、國際合規和科技應用的精細化調整。

“Money laundering” refers to the act of criminals converting illegally obtained funds into legitimate assets in order to conceal criminal activities and enjoy the proceeds of crime. This act is considered a transnational crime internationally. As a result, many countries have signed agreements such as the United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, launching the global development of anti-money laundering (AML) legal frameworks. Since 1988, Japan has gradually implemented administrative orders to prevent money laundering in accordance with the Vienna Convention. These measures required financial institutions to report suspicious transactions and led to the establishment of related regulations, including the Act on Punishment of Organized Crimes and Control of Crime Proceeds, the Act on Customer Identification, and the Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds, thereby forming a comprehensive AML regulatory system. In terms of legal evolution, the 1999 Act on Punishment of Organized Crimes and Control of Crime Proceeds expanded the scope of money laundering crimes and strengthened penalties for serious offenses. The Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds, which came into force in 2007, integrated multiple suspicious transaction reporting obligations and reinforced preventive AML measures, resulting in a dual regulatory model of “prevention and punishment.” Japan has continued to revise its regulations based on the recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to align with global standards. Since 2014, in response to the FATF’s third-round mutual evaluation, Japan has further strengthened its regulatory framework, particularly by enacting legislation for virtual currencies and bringing cryptocurrency operators under regulatory oversight. However, Japan's AML legal framework still faces challenges, including weak compliance awareness among obligated entities, inconsistent regulatory enforcement, and a slow response to digital financial innovation. Many small and medium-sized financial institutions lack adequate AML awareness and struggle to respond to foreign asset sanctions. Under the FATF’s new standards, the enforcement of AML obligations in non-financial sectors (such as legal professionals) has also proven challenging. Furthermore, Japan has been slow in adopting AML technologies and faces challenges posed by the development of new technologies. It must rely on tools such as blockchain and big data to tackle increasingly sophisticated money laundering techniques. Overall, while Japan’s AML system has become progressively more mature, it still requires refined adjustments in terms of enforcement effectiveness, international compliance, and technological applications.