The boom brought about by meme coins originating from Nico Nico Douga and "serious human rights violations"

2026/03/30 10:00 (Updated 2026/05/29 17:07)
Yuki Aoki
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The boom brought about by meme coins originating from Nico Nico Douga and "serious human rights violations"

A strange meme coin boom swept Japan

This time, I'd like to discuss the bizarre meme coin boom that swept Japan in January 2026.

Meme coin A, whose icon is a gold coin engraved with a man's face, saw its price skyrocket thousands of times from its lowest point, and its market capitalization quickly surpassed $50 million. An unprecedented number of participants bought it, and those who witnessed the price surge jumped in, hoping for further gains. This inflated desire eventually led to dangerous territory…a true "FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)" phenomenon.

Furthermore, riding on this boom, numerous derivative coins with similar contexts proliferated. This led to a bizarre spectacle of power struggles between communities.

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The price fluctuations of meme coin A (Source: Pump.fun)

Japanese Internet Memes

All the memes used in this instance became famous on the video-sharing site Nico Nico Douga. Nico Nico Douga has seen the rise of groups that consume adult videos in a discriminatory and humorous context, resembling an incubation hub for internet memes. For over 15 years, this movement has continued, exploiting human shamefulness and using mimicked lines to foster camaraderie. Needless to say, this infringes on copyright and the reputation of the performers, and is highly inappropriate.

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Iolite Vol.21

Iolite Vol.21

September 2026 issueReleased on 2026/07/30

Interview Richard Teng, Co-CEO, Binance Taisuke Isono, Head of Nikko Open Innovation Lab & DeFi Technology Department, SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. Hiroshi Kamiwaki, Director & Head of Crypto Asset Finance Business, Fintertech Co., Ltd. PHOTO & INTERVIEW Yusaku Nakano Feature Story: "Survival Strategies for Crypto Exchanges — The New Order Post-FIEA Transition" Interview Tomoyuki Isaka, President & Representative Director, CEO, Coincheck, Inc. Takaaki Fujiwara, Executive Vice President & Director, Mercury Inc. [Dialogue Series] The NISHI Talk: Crypto Conversations "Social Implementation Beyond Merely Holding Bitcoin" Kasou NISHI × Rintaro Kawai, President & Representative Director, ANAP HOLDINGS Co., Ltd. Series: Tech and Future Toshinao Sasaki ...and more

MAGAZINE

Iolite Vol.21

September 2026 issueReleased on 2026/07/30
Interview Richard Teng, Co-CEO, Binance Taisuke Isono, Head of Nikko Open Innovation Lab & DeFi Technology Department, SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. Hiroshi Kamiwaki, Director & Head of Crypto Asset Finance Business, Fintertech Co., Ltd. PHOTO & INTERVIEW Yusaku Nakano Feature Story: "Survival Strategies for Crypto Exchanges — The New Order Post-FIEA Transition" Interview Tomoyuki Isaka, President & Representative Director, CEO, Coincheck, Inc. Takaaki Fujiwara, Executive Vice President & Director, Mercury Inc. [Dialogue Series] The NISHI Talk: Crypto Conversations "Social Implementation Beyond Merely Holding Bitcoin" Kasou NISHI × Rintaro Kawai, President & Representative Director, ANAP HOLDINGS Co., Ltd. Series: Tech and Future Toshinao Sasaki ...and more