Tokyo has once again become the center of a world-wobbling virtual financial crisis. Let me emphasize the word virtual. That's because the world's best-known and perhaps largest exchange of the virtual currency known as bitcoin — Mt. Gox, located in Tokyo's Shibuya district — appeared to have all but collapsed last week.
And with that exchange out of operation, uncountable amounts of wealth are now missing.
The Japanese government, which has until recently paid little attention to bitcoin or its largest exchange, has expressed concern and appears to be chewing over the matter.