Japan's largest card network, JCB, has partnered with Circle to explore the use of stablecoins for cross-border payments and merchant transactions. Announced Tuesday, the collaboration involves a memorandum of understanding to investigate stablecoin payments for merchants catering to international visitors, as Japan's payment industry seeks to integrate blockchain technology into everyday transactions. JCB, with 140 million users and 40 million merchants globally, and Circle will focus on a proof of concept for JCB's internal fund transfers, aiming to enhance payment efficiency and reduce remittance costs using USDC. The initiative will also explore in-store stablecoin payments for merchants and international visitors to Japan, leveraging stablecoins' growing role in cashless societies.