Japan's Major AI Conferences and Trade Shows in 2026

For global AI companies, conferences and trade shows are one of the best ways to meet Japanese corporate buyers face to face. This guide lists the major AI and tech events in Japan in 2026, with dates and venues.

I only include dates and figures confirmed by organizers or reputable media as of October 11, 2026. Where attendance wasn’t published, I’ve left it out.

With more than 150 talks a year, I’ve spoken at or been invited to many of these events, so I’ve added notes from the floor.

Key events in 2026

Spring (April–June)

• SusHi Tech Tokyo 2026 — April 27–29, Tokyo Big Sight West Halls. A startup festival hosted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government; the city reported 750 exhibiting startups, 10,000 business meetings and 60,000 participants.
• NexTech Week 2026 Spring — April 15–17, Tokyo Big Sight West Halls. Organized by RX Japan; includes AI EXPO and Humanoid Robot EXPO. 33,612 visitors.
• Interop Tokyo 2026 — June 10–12, Makuhari Messe. Networking and IT infrastructure; the 2025 edition drew 136,875 visitors including co-located shows.
• AWS Summit Japan 2026 — June 25–26, Makuhari Messe. A large gathering of AWS users and developers.

Summer (July–September)

• IVS2026 KYOTO — July 1–3, Kyoto (Miyako Messe and other venues). One of Japan’s largest startup and investor events, held in Kyoto for the fourth straight year.
• SoftBank World 2026 — July 14. SoftBank’s corporate event, held in person and online.
• Google Cloud Next Tokyo ‘26 — July 30–31, Tokyo Big Sight South Halls.
• The 4th GMO Conference: Autumn · Physical AI 2026 — September 15, Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel, Shibuya. Hosted by GMO Internet Group, with ministers, researchers and AI company leaders on stage.

Autumn (October–November)

• CEATEC 2026 — October 13–16, Makuhari Messe. Japan’s flagship technology exhibition, organized by JEITA.
• Japan IT Week 2026 Autumn — October 21–23, Makuhari Messe. Organized by RX Japan.
• NexTech Week 2026 Autumn — November 11–13, Makuhari Messe, including Physical AI EXPO.

Choosing the right event for your goal

To meet corporate buyers: trade shows

Trade shows like NexTech Week and Japan IT Week attract people researching AI for their companies. Seminar slots usually require registration; one seminar I gave drew around 150 registrations. If you want to reach people with concrete adoption plans, trade-show seminars are a strong option.

To meet startups and investors: SusHi Tech and IVS

For partnerships and new business, SusHi Tech Tokyo and IVS are the places to be. At IVS Kyoto I spoke on an ads-and-AI panel and hosted a solo AMA. Founders are easy to approach, and conversations after a session often turn into next steps.

For executives and policy: invitation-only events

Invitation-only events like the GMO Conference bring together executives and policymakers. I spoke on panels there in both 2025 and 2026; the 2025 edition featured then–Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba among its speakers, making it a high-profile stage for AI discussion in Japan.

How global companies can make events count

Field a speaker who can talk in Japanese

Interpreted talks create distance. A speaker who presents in Japanese and brings Japanese company examples makes a big difference to audience satisfaction.

Post before and after

An event alone reaches only the people in the room. Announcing your session beforehand and reporting on the day extends your reach to everyone who couldn’t attend — I did exactly this on X for the GMO Conference.

Putting this to work

Decide first who you want to meet: corporate buyers, startups and investors, or executives. That determines both the event and the speaker. Dates change year to year, so confirm details on each official site before committing.