The reason you can't buy some US ETFs in Japan

[fools_gold]

I found this at the bottom of a Monex article. It's about ARK ETFs but it applies to other US ETFs too.

ARK社ETFを含む、米国ETF/REITの当社取扱いについて
米国ETF/REITを日本国内の証券会社が取扱うにあたっては、あらかじめ当該銘柄の運用会社から日本の金融庁長官に「外国投資信託に関する届出」がなされている必要があります。この届出は当社含む個別の証券会社ではなく運用会社が行う必要があり、ARK社の運用するETFを含め、届出がされていないことから当社で取扱うことができない銘柄もございます。

Basically, the US asset management company has to submit a notification to the Japanese regulators. If they don't do that, you can't buy the ETF through a Japanese broker.

[Kanto]

Basically, the US asset management company has to submit a notification to the Japanese regulators. If they don't do that, you can't buy the ETF through a Japanese broker.

*Tinfoil hat on"

I bet it is more profitable to partner with Monex to sell this overpriced junk instead.

マネックス証券では、ETFではないものの、ARK社の助言する2本の投資信託を取扱っています。（2021年2月3日時点）

グローバル・フィンテック株式ファンド https://fund.monex.co.jp/detail/0231116C
グローバル・スペース株式ファンド（1年決算型）https://fund.monex.co.jp/detail/02312188

So they feel no pressure to release their "lower" cost ETFs. There was a similar issue with EARK ETFS in Canada, they had a much higher fee, which are only now coming down as Canadians were ignoring the EARK funds and buy ARK directly in USD.

[fools_gold]

*Tinfoil hat on"

I bet it is more profitable to partner with Monex to sell this overpriced junk instead.

So they feel no pressure to release their "lower" cost ETFs. There was a similar issue with EARK ETFS in Canada, they had a much higher fee, which are only now coming down as Canadians were ignoring the EARK funds and buy ARK directly in USD.

Yeah it looks like they the US asset managers have the final say on whether you can buy a particular US ETF through a Japanese broker. In this case because ARK have done a deal with Nissei their ETFs might not become available.

These ARK ETFs aren't my cup of tea, but there are a few other ETFs and things I wanted to buy in the past and couldn't. This probably explains why.