Japan says relevant ministries to be in close contact on bitcoin

The relevant Japanese ministries will be in close contact with each other on matters relating to bitcoin, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Wednesday. He did not give further details.   Japan will this week clarify the legal handling of bitcoin, including deciding on Friday how to treat bitcoin under existing laws, people familiar with the matter said, in the first sign that the government is taking action on regulating the virtual currency.   Mt. Gox, once the world’s biggest bitcoin exchange, abruptly stopped trading last month and its chief executive said the business was at “a turning point,” sparking concerns about the future of the unregulated virtual currency.   Several other digital currency exchanges and prominent early-stage investors in bitcoin responded with forceful statements in an attempt to reassure investors of both bitcoin’s viability and their own security protocols.   Reuters