Index
All events
Editor-curated. Reviewed independently from a third-party perspective.
Upcoming
ProductZine Day 2026
The fifth edition of the annual conference run by ProductZine, Shoeisha's product management media. Under the theme of the chaos product managers face in the AI era and how to systematize their work, it offers eight free sessions covering discovery, strategy, analytics and talent development, plus small-group discussions with speakers and a networking reception aimed at in-house product managers.
AI Expo Summer 2026
The summer edition of the AI-focused exhibition hosted by AIsmiley, operator of Japan's AI portal media. Over 100 companies present 200+ AI solutions alongside 40+ conference sessions. Following the Spring 2026 edition at Tokyo International Forum, it moves to Sankaku Hiroba at the Shinjuku Sumitomo Building. Free to attend, it serves companies comparing generative AI and AI agent products.
Innovation Japan 2026 (University Trade Fair)
Japan's largest university-industry matching event, hosted by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). Patented technology seeds from universities nationwide are exhibited for matching with corporate R&D and new business teams. The 2025 edition drew about 14,000 visitors to 291 exhibited seeds. Less a startup conference and more a trade fair that seeds technology transfer and joint research.
Open Developers Conference 2026
A developer-focused open source conference run by the OSPN community behind the Open Source Conference (OSC) series. Billed as an "open source culture festival," it packs seminars, hands-on sessions, and community booths on DevOps, dev tools, and cloud into a single free day. Modest in size at 100-plus attendees, its strength since 2018 has been direct access to the developers behind OSS projects.
ICC Summit (Industry Co-Creation Summit)
A conference built on 'learning together, creating industry together.' The signature event is 'Catapult,' a 7-minute pitch contest. Held twice yearly (Fukuoka/Kyoto). Over 80% of attendees rate it 'the best.'
DroidKaigi 2026
One of Japan's largest Android conferences, organized by engineers for engineers. Three days of technical sessions, codelabs, and networking, with many international speakers making it a globally minded technical event.
TECHNIUM Global Conference 2026
Japan's largest deep tech conference. By invitation only, it brings together researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, and corporations from the deep tech ecosystem worldwide. Discussions cover the societal implementation of advanced technologies including bio, materials, energy, and space.
FIT Osaka 2026 (Financial Information Technology Expo)
The Osaka edition of FIT, one of Japan's largest IT trade shows for financial institutions, focused on regional banks and credit unions. It is run by the financial trade paper Nikkin with the Japanese Bankers Association, the National Association of Shinkin Banks and other industry bodies as co-hosts and supporters. The previous edition drew over 3,300 on-site visitors, roughly 1,000 online viewers and 153 financial institutions including every regional bank in the Kinki area.
DATERISE! 2026
A global startup event from Tohoku hosted by Sendai City. It combines a pitch contest, exhibitor booths, and festival-style side events, engaging everyone from startups to local residents. First held in 2025 with over 2,300 total participants including side events. The 2026 edition consolidates venues into the Sendai International Center Exhibition Hall and scales up.
Cloud Operator Days Tokyo 2026
An annual conference dedicated to cloud infrastructure operators. Launched in 2020 as the successor to OpenStack Days Tokyo, it focuses on sharing successes, failures, and know-how from operations. Typically combining summer on-demand sessions with an in-person closing event, the 2026 finale takes place September 11 at docomo R&D OPEN LAB ODAIBA in Odaiba.
Go Conference 2026
Japan's largest community conference dedicated to the Go programming language, run by the Gophers Japan association. Sessions span language internals, concurrency, and cloud-native practice under the 2026 theme "Go Far, Go Together." With recent editions drawing 450-500 attendees, it serves as a hub for the country's Go engineers.
iOSDC Japan 2026
One of Japan's largest software engineering conferences focused on iOS and related technologies. Knowledge on Swift and Apple platform development comes together over three days in a hybrid format, with a distinctive culture of publicly submitted talk proposals.
OPEN INNOVATION SUMMIT 2026
One of Japan's largest open innovation summits, hosted by eiicon. Large corporations, startups, municipalities, and investors gather for sessions and the STARTUP PITCH program, generating business co-creation matches. A distinctive feature is that corporate judges make on-the-spot co-creation decisions during the pitch. Around 2,000 attendees expected.
Scrum Fest Mikawa 2026
An Agile and manufacturing conference held in Toyohashi, in the Mikawa region known for its concentration of manufacturers. It is distinctive for crossing hands-on hardware development knowledge with software Scrum practice, drawing corporate engineers and students from the Tokai area. The 2026 edition at emCAMPUS STUDIO features a keynote by Masaki Nakamura of Aisin, who leads the communication-support app YYSystem.
WOMAN AI UPDATE 2026
A two-day hands-on conference on how women use AI in both work and everyday life. Day 1 covers business and Day 2 daily life, with a try-it-yourself format that goes beyond lectures. It is the first flagship event of Women AI Initiative Japan (founded 2025), where the 2026 edition of the Women AI Talent Whitepaper, Japan's first survey on women's AI adoption, premieres.
Frontend Conference Fukuoka 2026
A regional conference gathering front-end developers across Kyushu, held at Kyushu Sangyo University with sessions on UI implementation, performance, and architecture. Run by a volunteer committee, it draws roughly 200-300 attendees and anchors Kyushu's engineering community as a regional counterweight to Tokyo-centric events.
Open Source Conference 2026 Hiroshima
The Hiroshima stop of Open Source Conference, a free single-day event registered via connpass at Satellite Campus Hiroshima on the 5th floor of the Hiroshima Prefectural Culture Center, about 20 minutes by tram from Hiroshima Station. The previous edition ran 18 sessions across three tracks with 16 booths, lining up regionally rooted groups such as a game engine user group and the FOSS4G geospatial community.
Tokyo Game Show 2026
The world's largest game trade show, organized by CESA. Marking its 30th anniversary, the 2026 edition expands to an unprecedented five days, with two business days followed by three public days. Recent editions drew 770-plus exhibitors and 240,000-plus visitors, spanning games, XR, AI, and esports. It is the year's largest venue for Japan's game industry to do business and reach the public.
NoMaps 2026
A city-wide festival across central Sapporo spanning conferences, exhibitions, music, and film. Modeled after SXSW and launched in 2016, the 2025 edition drew a cumulative 58,000 participants across 86 venues and 294 programs. A hub event of Hokkaido's startup ecosystem where entrepreneurs, creators, students, and local governments mix.
Platform Engineering Kaigi 2026
The third edition of Japan's conference dedicated to platform engineering. The 2026 theme is "AI Native Platform Engineering," sharing hands-on knowledge of building developer platforms that embed AI agents. Grown out of the Platform Engineering Meetup community in 2024, it draws platform engineers, SREs, and CTOs.
OKAYAMA STARTUP SCRUM
A business-exchange symposium hosted by Okayama City that brings startups together with local companies, financial institutions, and municipalities through keynotes, panels, a 15-startup pitch session, and matchmaking booths. First held in 2025, the second edition adds reverse pitches from major corporations such as Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Shimadzu, serving as a benchmark for a regional startup ecosystem.
Global Startup EXPO 2026
An international deep tech startup event first held at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai. As an Expo legacy project, the 2026 edition continues at the Umekita area in central Osaka. Focus areas span bio, AI and robotics, fusion energy, quantum, semiconductors, and space, connecting overseas startups with Japanese corporations, investors, and research institutions. The 2025 edition drew over 9,500 visitors with 145 booths from 21 countries and regions.
Hardening 2026 Agentic Collapse
An annual security hardening competition where teams defend an e-commerce site under live attack, competing on business continuity and sales. Japan's foremost hands-on exercise since 2012, with selected participants forming mixed teams. In 2025, 101 took part, 90% first-timers. The 2026 edition moves to Hakodate under the theme "Agentic Collapse," testing defense in the AI-agent era.
BioJapan 2026
One of Asia's largest biotechnology partnering events. Pharma and biotech companies, regenerative medicine and healthcare players, researchers, investors, and startups gather for one-on-one partnering meetings via a dedicated system. In 2025, 1,090 exhibitors from 36 countries and regions joined, with over 22,000 visitors and 24,000 partnering meetings. Co-located with events such as Regenerative Medicine JAPAN.
RAMEN TECH 2026
A citywide innovation week hosted by Fukuoka City. Centered on the Tenjin-Daimyo area, it spreads 100+ events across the city, drawing startups, investors, and engineers from Japan and abroad. The 2025 edition drew over 12,000 participants (1,200+ from overseas). In 2026 it runs five days, October 7-11, targeting 15,000+ participants, offering a panoramic view of the ecosystem of Fukuoka, Japan's self-styled gateway to Asia.
Data Engineering Summit 2026
A data engineering-focused conference hosted by Findy. Shares practical cases on data infrastructure, data pipelines, MLOps, and data governance. Data engineers from major domestic tech companies present real-world insights from the field.
Designship 2026
Japan's largest design conference, built on the concept of "reconnecting design that has spread too far." Held annually since 2018 around the stories of practitioners crossing UI/UX, graphic, and product design, it has drawn over 50,000 cumulative attendees, with about 2,500 visitors over two days in 2025. The 2026 edition takes place at Tokyo Midtown Hall on October 10-11.
Frontend Conference Kansai 2026
An annual conference by the Kansai front-end developer community. The 2026 theme "Frontend, Unbounded." widens the audience beyond engineers to UI/UX designers and product roles. Organized by the Kansai Developers Conference association, it is held at the new Grand Green Osaka venue directly linked to Osaka Station, anchoring developer exchange in the Kansai region.
Hackers Champloo 2026
An annual engineers' festival run jointly by Okinawa's IT communities since 2013. Built around sessions and lightning talks, its hallmark is a "champloo" (stir-fry) culture where engineers from inside and outside the prefecture mix across specialties. The 2025 edition drew about 140 attendees, free to attend, with even sponsor sessions kept as pure tech talks. In 2026 it shifts from its usual summer slot to October 12 at Tedako Hall in Urasoe.
CEATEC
Japan's largest IT and electronics exhibition. Organized by JEITA, held annually in October at Makuhari Messe. The 2026 theme is 'Transformation.' Over 800 exhibitors and approximately 100,000 visitors. Free admission with registration.
Japan Mobility Show Bizweek 2026
A B2B mobility co-creation event hosted by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA). Held in the interim year of the main Japan Mobility Show (biennial at Tokyo Big Sight, drawing about one million visitors), co-located with CEATEC at the same venue and dates. Focused on business matching among automakers, startups, universities, and cross-industry companies, with the online matching tool Meet-up Box available before and after the show.
Kaigi on Rails 2026
Japan's largest conference for Ruby on Rails users, positioned as "a web technology conference enjoyable for everyone from beginners to experts" with a strong focus on practical, production-grounded sessions. The 2026 edition features a keynote by Rails creator DHH; "The Pragmatic Programmer" author Dave Thomas, announced earlier, is unable to travel to Japan and the organizers are arranging how to proceed. It continues its hybrid format with several hundred on-site attendees.
Pixel x Pixel 2026
The second edition of a creative festival dedicated to motion design, CG, VFX and real-time expression. Two simultaneous stages run at Terada Warehouse D HALL and WHAT CAFE in Tennozu, with creators from Japan and abroad including EJ Hassenfratz, Bito and illo. The first edition sold out within seven days, and this year expands both venues and lineup, closing with an after-party for networking.
DevFest 2026 in Kansai
The 2026 edition of DevFest hosted by GDG Greater Kwansai. Sessions on AI and machine learning, security, hardware and IoT are combined with a generative-AI hands-on workshop and a panel discussion, free of charge for 500 attendees in Umeda, Osaka. Following Osaka in 2024 and Kobe in 2025, this third edition mixes students with working engineers in one venue.
Japan IT Week Autumn 2026
The autumn edition of Japan's largest IT and DX exhibition. Composed of Japan IT Week, Japan DX & AX Week, the Sales & Digital Marketing Week, and the EC & Store Week, it is the largest such show in the second half of the year, with 780 exhibitors. Some 30,000 business professionals gather in Makuhari to compare products and hold meetings across system development, security, AI, and DX. Unlike the spring edition at Tokyo Big Sight, the autumn show is held at Makuhari Messe.
Security Days Fall 2026
One of Japan's largest cybersecurity exhibition-and-seminar events, organized by NANO OPT Media. Held twice a year, the autumn edition tours five cities including Sapporo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Tokyo, and Nagoya. It delivers, free of charge, the latest incident trends and defenses against ransomware and targeted attacks for practitioners. The Tokyo venue alone draws cumulative session attendance of around 16,000.
Vue Fes Japan 2026
Japan's largest Vue.js conference, organized by the Vue.js Japan User Group. With a scope that "does not close itself to Vue.js alone," it covers Vite, Vitest, AI, and accessibility, featuring creator Evan You and OSS developers from around the world. Over 800 people attended in 2025; the 2026 edition takes place October 24 in Otemachi, Tokyo.
Qiita Conference 2026 Autumn
The autumn edition of the online tech conference hosted by Qiita, Japan's largest engineer community. Streamed over three evenings (17:00 to 20:55), it features guest keynotes and sessions by participating companies sharing technical challenges and insights. The spring 2026 edition drew a record 7,000+ registrations, the largest in Qiita's history. Archive streaming available.
FlutterKaigi 2026
Japan's largest community conference dedicated to Flutter and Dart. The sixth edition since its 2021 debut runs two days in Hamamatsucho under the theme "Assemble." The 2025 edition drew roughly 300 attendees with a keynote, 20 sessions, and 15 lightning talks, cementing its role as the annual gathering of Japan's Flutter community.
ISUCON2026
A team-based contest in which participants tune a given web application for speed within a fixed time limit. The name stands for "Iikanjini Speedup Contest"; 14 editions have been held since the first in 2011. 2026 is the first year under a new structure, with Sakura Internet taking over the operations desk from LY Corporation, run as an online and offline hybrid with 935 slots opened in three waves.
Tokyo Game Dungeon 14
The 14th edition of the indie game exhibition for solo developers and small teams. Held three to four times a year in Hamamatsucho since its 2022 launch, this edition plans around 300 exhibitor slots across two floors of the Industrial Trade Center. Its first-come exhibitor registration and low booth fees keep the developer-first spirit intact, making it a fixture for playtesting and creator networking.
pmconf 2026 (Product Manager Conference)
Japan's largest product management conference. It contributes to the advancement of product management through knowledge sharing and case study presentations by PMs and PdMs. In 2025, held in Osaka (November) and Tokyo (December). Top PMs from Japan and abroad take the stage.
TSKaigi Sendai 2026
A regional edition of the TypeScript conference organized by the TSKaigi Association. Separate from the flagship Tokyo event held each May, these regional gatherings connect with local engineering communities. The Sendai edition runs as a single day on November 1, 2026, offering practical TypeScript knowledge and networking.
Unreal Fest Tokyo 2026
Epic Games Japan's official large-scale Unreal Engine conference, combining talks, exhibits, and hands-on access to the latest technology. Sessions cover game development alongside film, architecture, automotive, and other industries, all free to attend. Established since its 2014 debut, the previous edition drew a record 1,800 attendees. The 2026 edition runs two days at Tokyo Big Sight TFT Hall in Ariake, with a livestream for satellite venues across Japan.
GRIC 2026 (Growth Industry Conference)
Japan's largest growth industry conference hosted by For Startups, Inc. Startups, corporations, investors, and government officials gather to discuss the future of growth industries. The first two days are held online, with the final day at Shibuya Hikarie in a hybrid format. Features the GRIC Pitch contest.
SKS JAPAN 2026
Japan's largest foodtech conference, co-hosted by UnlocX and the US foodtech media The Spoon. Corporations, startups, investors, and researchers in food and agriculture gather from Japan and abroad, with over 100 speakers and full simultaneous interpretation. Now entering its second stage focused on co-creation and social implementation after nearly a decade since 2017. The 2026 edition runs as a hybrid on-site and online event at Muromachi Mitsui Hall & Conference in Nihonbashi, with an accompanying citywide exhibition.
JAWS FESTA 2026 in AKITA
The annual traveling conference that JAWS-UG, the AWS user group of Japan, holds once a year in a regional city outside Tokyo. The 2026 edition takes place at Akita Arts Theatre Milhas in Akita City, lining up regional cloud case studies and community-driven sessions. The 2025 Kanazawa edition drew roughly 300 registrants, with strongly local programming such as disaster-relief lessons from the Noto Peninsula earthquake. It functions as a hub connecting regional IT communities.
DigiGame Expo 2026
A doujin and indie-game-only exhibition and market running since 2013, held every autumn at Akihabara UDX. Games across PC, smartphone, and console platforms are sold and demoed in one place. Distinctively, game engines and middleware vendors have been welcomed from the start, and media attendance is high. A long-running event bridging doujin market culture and the indie game industry.
B Dash Camp 2026 Fall in Fukuoka
The fall edition of Japan's premier invitation-only startup conference. Entrepreneurs, public company executives, and VCs gather in Fukuoka for dense networking built around panel discussions and the Pitch Arena pitch contest. Held twice a year, paired with the spring edition in Sapporo.
NexTech Week 2026 Autumn
A large-scale advanced-technology exhibition organized by RX Japan, comprising five shows including AI EXPO, Blockchain EXPO, Quantum Computing EXPO, Humanoid Robot EXPO, and Digital Talent Development EXPO. Centered on the social implementation of frontier technology, it gathers companies from R&D through deployment as a free-entry, business-matching exhibition held each spring and autumn.
Scrum Fest Sapporo 2026
A scrum and agile conference from Hokkaido hosted by Agile Sapporo. After running as Scrum Fest Niseko, a small overnight retreat, in 2023 and 2024, the 2026 edition returns to its Sapporo roots after a two-year gap in a session-based format with an online track. Keynotes feature three executives from Classmethod, Creationline, and KDDI Agile Development Center, joined by a Memuro town official who maintains the OSS project MADO.
CEDEC+KYUSHU 2026
One of Kyushu's largest conferences for game developers, co-hosted with CESA at Kyushu Sangyo University in Fukuoka. A single day packs practical technical talks, an indie game showcase, and hands-on content demos. Time-shifted streaming, offered since 2020, reaches audiences nationwide, and the previous edition drew over 3,000 registrations, an exceptional scale for a regional event.
Design Matters 26
The Tokyo edition of the Copenhagen-born digital design conference, renamed to the numbered form "Design Matters 26" from 2026. Held over two days at DMM.com's seminar space in Roppongi, run entirely in English at an intimate 200-person scale, with practitioners from Figma, Miro and Medium speaking across four curated themes. Inclusivity runs through the program, and its draw is the density of direct access to speakers.
Kotlin Fest 2026
A Kotlin-focused community conference under the banner "cherishing Kotlin," hosted by the Japan Kotlin User Group. Kotlin engineers share knowledge across Android and server-side in CfP-selected sessions. Running since its 2018 debut, it is the central event of Japan's Kotlin ecosystem.
CODE BLUE 2026
An international security conference born in Japan that gathers world-class security researchers in Tokyo. Talks on cutting-edge vulnerability research and attack techniques are fully interpreted, drawing 1,000+ attendees from Japan and abroad. Alongside the main conference, trainings, contests, and villages make it a hub for exchange across borders and languages.
CloudNative Days Winter 2026
Japan's largest cloud-native technology conference hosted by the local community. Shares practical cases on Kubernetes, containers, microservices, SRE, and Platform Engineering. Community-driven with diverse sessions selected through a CFP (Call for Proposals) process.
Internet Week 2026
A comprehensive event on Internet infrastructure technology hosted by JPNIC. Running since 1997, it gathers the engineers who keep routing, DNS, and security infrastructure working, across disciplines. Programs range from tutorials to trend seminars; the 2025 edition drew a cumulative 3,900+ participants. The 2026 edition runs November 19-27, split into an Online Week and a Conference Week (November 25-27 in Ryogoku, Tokyo).
NIKKEI NADA Digital Asset Conference 2026
A digital asset conference co-hosted by Nikkei's media business division and N.Avenue. It expands and renames the Digital Securities Forum, held for five years with the Financial Services Agency's endorsement, to mark Nikkei's 150th anniversary. Under the theme of the next common sense of capital markets, regulators, financial institutions, and blockchain companies discuss policy design and market implementation across stablecoins, tokenized deposits, RWA, and crypto ETFs. Free with advance registration.
AVTOKYO2026
A community security conference running since 2008 under the motto "no drink, no hack." Held in a Shibuya nightclub, it is known for its unique style where hackers from Japan and abroad mingle over drinks. Talks center on edgy topics from cloud attack techniques to OSINT and physical security, and the event has carved out its own place broadcasting Japan's hacker culture to the world. The 2026 edition runs for a half day on November 21.
JSConf JP 2026
The Japanese edition of the worldwide JSConf family, organized by the Japan Node.js Association and among the largest JavaScript conferences in the country. Succeeding the Tokyo NodeFest since 2019, it is known for bringing in international speakers, from language spec designers to runtime developers, across four dense parallel tracks, serving as the junction between Japan's community and global JavaScript trends. The 2026 edition moves to Bellesalle Kanda.
Architecture Conference 2026
A large-scale conference dedicated to software architecture, hosted by Findy. Under the theme "architecture decisions, technology, and organizations that sustain business continuity and evolution," it shares case studies from three angles of strategy, implementation, and organization. In 2026, Martin Fowler, author of Refactoring, is scheduled to speak in Japan. The 2025 edition drew 5,549 registrations over two days.
WE AT CHALLENGE 2026
A global pitch contest and summit in the well-being domain hosted by WE AT, in partnership with the University of Tokyo, Hakuhodo, and others. Winners receive non-equity funding from a prize pool exceeding 30 million yen. The previous edition drew about 600 entries from 40 countries. This is a pitch contest plus summit rather than a general-admission conference. Entries are accepted in Japanese or English (English required by the final round).
PostgreSQL Conference Japan 2026
Japan's largest comprehensive PostgreSQL conference, held annually by the Japan PostgreSQL Users Group (JPUG). Developers and DBAs gather for a full day of two morning talks and fourteen sessions across three afternoon tracks, spanning new core features, cloud, extensions, and operations. The 2025 edition drew 226 attendees, the most in eight years, with committers and vendor engineers from Japan and abroad on stage.
YAPC::Tokyo 2026
A conference for IT engineers centered on Perl, hosted by the Japan Perl Association. Marking the 10th anniversary of the touring YAPC::Japan series launched in 2016, the 2026 edition takes place at Tokyo Big Sight under the theme "Patchwork." Talks go well beyond Perl, and the event is known for dense community exchange from the pre-party to the after-party. The 2024 Hiroshima edition drew a series-record 448 attendees.
XR Kaigi 2026
Japan's largest conference covering XR, metaverse and VTuber technologies. Launched in 2019 by Mogura, publisher of the trade media Mogura VR, the 2026 edition gathers roughly 70 sessions and about 100 exhibition booths at Tokyo Port City Takeshiba. Hands-on hardware demos sit alongside enterprise deployment cases, making it the industry's annual checkpoint.
GTMF 2026 (Game Tools & Middleware Forum)
An exhibition-and-seminar event specializing in tools and middleware for game development, run by IID across two venues, Osaka (Dec 2) and Tokyo (Dec 8). Vendors of engines, sound, QA, and AI solutions gather so that engineers and creators can compare the latest development environments for free. Its 2026 edition is the 21st, making it one of Japan's leading developer-focused events.
Okinawa Open Days 2026
The 14th edition of the general ICT conference held every December in Naha since 2013, built around research presentations from the Okinawa Open Laboratory. A single venue spans networking, cloud, edge, generative AI operations, security and robotics, combining keynotes, poster sessions and sponsor booths with a hands-on program in which early-career engineers build the venue network themselves. The 2024 edition passed 1,000 attendees for the first time in several years.
RubyWorld Conference 2026
A business-oriented Ruby conference held in Matsue, the birthplace of Ruby. Anchored by a keynote from Yukihiro Matsumoto (Matz), it showcases business use cases of Ruby and the latest developments in the ecosystem. A major Ruby event alongside RubyKaigi.
Open Source Summit Japan 2026
Japan's premier open source conference, organized by the Linux Foundation. Tracks span the Linux kernel, cloud native, and open source AI, offering direct access to maintainers and community leaders from around the world. Linus Torvalds delivered a 2025 keynote; the 2026 edition is co-located with ELC Asia and the Automotive Linux Summit.
Open Source Conference 2026 Fukuoka
The Fukuoka stop of Open Source Conference, set for 12 December 2026 on the 7th floor of Fukuoka University's Building A, where Kyushu's open source communities and companies gather for exhibits and seminars. The previous edition at Kyushu Sangyo University ran 25 sessions across four tracks with 29 booths and featured exhibits such as a robot arm from a municipal DX consortium. The venue rotates among universities in the city.
TechGALA Japan 2026: BEYOND
The third edition of TechGALA, a technology and startup festival held across the city of Nagoya. The schedule moves from the traditional January-February window to December, making 2026 an exceptional year with two editions (January and December). Days 1-2 take place in the Sakae district (Chunichi Building, NADYA PARK, and more) and Day 3 in the Tsurumai district (STATION Ai and more). The theme is BEYOND, going beyond existing frameworks.
Startup JAPAN EXPO 2026 Winter
The second edition within the same year of the startup exhibition organized by Eight, Sansan's business-card app. Following the April Makuhari edition, it moves to Ariake GYM-EX. Startups meet large corporations, investors, municipalities, and media through Dream Pitch, conferences, and themed networking sessions. Its shift to a twice-a-year cadence reflects growing demand for domestic startup exhibitions.
Regional Scrum Gathering Tokyo 2027
Japan's largest Scrum and Agile conference, held every January since 2011. The 2027 edition returns to Bellesalle Haneda Airport in hybrid format. Beyond 90+ sessions including international keynotes, its "gathering" culture emphasizing attendee dialogue sets it apart, and tickets sell out early every year. A fixed point where product development leaders and practitioners convene at the start of the year.
BuriKaigi 2027
Hokuriku's largest IT conference, timed to Toyama's winter delicacy, kanburi (winter yellowtail). It began in 2015 as a joint .NET and Java meetup and has grown into a multi-track event of 300+ attendees covering everything from web to AI. Admission is free, and engineers travel from across Japan, drawn in part by the buri-shabu banquet. The 2027 edition runs January 8-9 at the Toyama International Conference Center.
JSAC2027
A conference for security analysts hosted by JPCERT/CC, where frontline malware analysts, forensic investigators, and incident responders from Japan and abroad share hands-on findings. Launched in 2018, it marks its 10th anniversary in 2027. The event stays strictly in-person with no online streaming, and it is free to attend but capacity-limited, so early registration matters.
JANOG59 Meeting in Fukui
Japan's largest network operators' meeting, held twice a year by JANOG since 1997. Engineers from ISPs, data centers, and carriers gather to discuss real-world operational issues candidly. The 2026 Osaka edition drew over 6,000 registrants. The 59th meeting runs for three days in Fukui City, hosted by NTT Docomo Business and Mitene Internet.
Spectrum Tokyo Festival 2027
A two-day "music-festival-like" design festival hosted by the design community Spectrum Tokyo. The 2027 theme is "Edge," a stand against the flattening of design in an era where AI endlessly generates the average, celebrating uncompromising worldviews and impulses that resist verbalization. Once again held at the DMM.com offices in Roppongi, with simultaneous Japanese-English interpretation and archive access to every talk.
Developers Summit 2027
A festival for IT engineers running since 2003, hosted by Shoeisha's CodeZine. It has established itself as a community-driven venue where working engineers learn about technology and careers together, kept free for attendees thanks to paid sponsors, with front-line practitioners such as Yukihiro Matsumoto and Takuto Wada speaking most years. The 2027 edition runs three days, February 17-19, in Tokyo.
SECCON 15 Dennou Kaigi
Japan's largest security contest series, run by JNSA since 2012. The Dennou Kaigi conference opens the CTF finals, fought by domestic and international teams that survived the online qualifiers, to the public alongside talks, workshops, and CTF for GIRLS. The 15th edition takes place in Asakusabashi, Tokyo on February 20-21, 2027 with free admission, serving as a key venue for discovering hands-on security talent among companies and students alike.
Japan Fintech Week 2027
A fintech festival week co-hosted by the Financial Services Agency and the Fintech Association of Japan. Dozens of affiliated events, including FIN/SUM and GFTN Forum, run for about two weeks mainly across Tokyo. The 2025 edition drew over 20,000 cumulative participants from 70+ countries and regions across 82 events. Its hallmark is the close dialogue among regulators, startups, and financial institutions, showcasing Japanese fintech to the world.
try! Swift Tokyo 2027
An international conference gathering Apple platform developers from around the world. First held in 2016, sessions run mostly in English with real-time translation via the official app lowering the language barrier. The previous edition drew 631 attendees from over 35 countries. Across one workshop day and two conference days, it offers cutting-edge Swift content and global community exchange.
Game Creators Conference '27
A Kansai-born conference for game developers, hosted in Osaka by the Digital Entertainment Creators Association (DECA). Combining talks, exhibitor booths, and a networking reception, it serves as a hub for the Kansai developer community in an industry calendar otherwise concentrated in Tokyo. The 2027 edition takes place at Grand Cube Osaka under the theme of connection driving the next wave of creation.
TEAMZ WEB3/AI SUMMIT 2027
The 10th anniversary edition of one of Japan's largest Web3 and AI conferences. Entrepreneurs, investors, and developers from over 80 countries gather in Tokyo to discuss the frontiers of blockchain, AI, and crypto assets. Held at the historic Japanese garden of Happo-en, it is known for its internationally diverse networking, complemented by a VIP dinner and a closing red carpet gala.
Japan IT Week Spring 2027
The spring edition of Japan's largest IT and DX trade show. In 2027 it runs alongside Japan DX & AX Week, Sales & Digital Marketing Week, and EC & Store Week, with about 1,100 exhibitors filling East Halls 1-8 of Tokyo Big Sight and an expected 57,000 visitors. It serves as a venue for comparing IT products and holding business talks, covering everything from systems development and security to AI.
RubyKaigi 2027
One of the world's largest international conferences dedicated to the Ruby language. Ruby creator Yukihiro Matsumoto (Matz), the core team, and developers from around the globe gather for deep technical talks on language internals, implementations, and performance. Following its tradition of touring Japan, the 2027 edition heads to Miyazaki.
AI Expo Spring 2027
The spring edition of one of Japan's largest AI-focused exhibitions, organized by AIsmiley, operator of an AI portal media. It gathers the latest AI products and services, from generative AI and image recognition to physical AI robots. Spring 2026 drew 12,154 visitors and added a physical AI and robot zone. The 2027 edition runs April 27-28 at Tokyo International Forum, serving corporate teams evaluating AI adoption.
SusHi Tech Tokyo 2027
Asia's largest global innovation conference, hosted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Startups, large corporations, investors, and city mayors from around the world gather to debate a sustainable future and generate business deals, across two Business Days and one Public Day. The 2026 edition drew roughly 61,000 people from 103 countries and regions, with 798 exhibiting startups. The 2027 edition runs May 20-22 at Tokyo Big Sight.
BitSummit 2027
Japan's largest indie game festival, held annually at Miyako Messe in Kyoto. The 2026 edition ("BitSummit PUNCH") set a record with 68,208 visitors and 496 booths over three days. Built around hands-on demos where developers from Japan and abroad let visitors play their new titles directly, it also serves as a meeting point with publishers and international media. The 2027 dates (May 21-23) were announced at the closing ceremony.
Interop Tokyo 2027
One of Japan's largest network and infrastructure technology events, running since 1994. Its hallmark is ShowNet, a live interoperability demonstration network built from scratch on the show floor by hundreds of top engineers using over 2,000 products contributed by exhibitors, letting visitors see the latest networking, AI infrastructure, and security technology on real hardware. The 2026 edition drew over 140,000 visitors across three days.
SRE NEXT 2027
Japan's largest conference dedicated to Site Reliability Engineering, born out of the SRE Lounge community in 2020. The 2026 edition ran two days under the theme "Inclusive SRE," and the 2027 edition is set for July 9-10 at TOC Ariake. It serves as the Japanese SRE scene's annual checkpoint where reliability practices are shared across company boundaries.
Google Cloud Next Tokyo 2027
Japan's largest cloud conference covering the latest Google Cloud and Workspace technologies and domestic case studies. Keynotes, technical sessions, and hands-on labs are free to attend, and the event has become a key venue for production-grade AI agent stories. The 2027 edition moves to Tokyo Big Sight's West Exhibition Halls 1-3 in August.
WebX 2027
The fifth edition of Asia's largest Web3 conference, produced by CoinPost. The 2026 edition drew 13,641 attendees from over 90 countries with 70+ side events across Tokyo. In 2027 the venue moves from The Prince Park Tower Tokyo to Tokyo Big Sight, a space roughly 1.8 times larger, as the event keeps scaling as an international gathering of crypto and blockchain companies, financial institutions, investors, and government officials.
PyCon JP 2027
Japan's largest conference dedicated to the Python programming language. Python developers from Japan and abroad gather to share knowledge across web development, data science, machine learning, and automation. Since its first edition in 2011, the event has drawn around 1,000 attendees annually. After two years in Hiroshima, the 2027 edition moves to Plaza Verde in Numazu, Shizuoka. Tickets and the call for proposals are both coming soon.
Past events
PyCon JP 2026
Japan's largest conference dedicated to the Python programming language. Python developers from Japan and abroad gather to share knowledge across web development, data science, machine learning, and automation. Since its first edition in 2011, the event has drawn around 1,000 attendees annually, growing into one of the leading PyCon events in the Asia-Pacific region. The conference spans two days plus a sprint (development hackathon) day.
Tokyo Game Dungeon 13
An indie game exhibition for solo developers and small teams, launched in 2022 by indie developer Takumi Iwasaki and held three to four times a year in Hamamatsucho. The 13th edition hosts 276 booths, reserving 100 slots for first-time exhibitors to keep the barrier to entry low. With 1,000 yen admission (free under 18), it has grown to around 3,000 visitors focused on playtesting and developer exchange.
Open Source Conference 2026 Kyoto
The Kyoto stop of the travelling open source festival that began in Tokyo in 2004. A free one-day event packing community, corporate and school exhibition booths together with multi-track seminars and lightning talks, held on the basement floors of Kyoto Research Park Building 4. The previous edition drew 290 visitors, 34 seminars and 46 booths, and it serves as the annual meeting point for Kansai's open source communities.
Scrum Fest Osaka 2026
The Kansai region's largest Agile and Scrum conference, running since 2019. During the pandemic in 2020 it pioneered an online format where Scrum communities across Japan gathered as individual tracks, becoming a hub connecting regional communities. The 2026 edition is a hybrid event at Umeda Crystal Hall, with a keynote by Ryutaro Yoshiba (Attractor).
Google Cloud Next Tokyo
The largest Google Cloud conference in Japan, featuring the latest technologies and case studies for Google Cloud and Workspace. Includes keynotes, technical sessions, and hands-on labs. 13,000 attendees in 2025.
KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Japan 2026
The Japanese edition of the world's largest Kubernetes and cloud-native technology conference. Hosted by CNCF, it features two days of keynotes, sessions across 10+ tracks, tutorials, and networking. All sessions are later published on the CNCF YouTube channel.
AI Agent Day 2026 Summer
One of Japan's largest AI agent conferences, hosted by the AICX Association. Under the theme of "complete case-study dissection," two days of sessions unpack real enterprise deployments and the common walls of AI agent adoption, such as stalled rollouts, over-reliance on individuals, and unmanaged "rogue agents." The past three editions drew over 12,000 cumulative viewer registrations.
DX Comprehensive EXPO 2026 Summer Tokyo
The summer edition of one of Japan's largest comprehensive DX exhibitions, bringing together DX solutions for operational efficiency, work style reform, and business infrastructure. Visitors can compare products across SaaS, AI, RPA, cloud, and security for free. Following the Spring 2026 edition in February, the series draws over 100,000 visitors annually across Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka.
CEDEC 2026 (Computer Entertainment Developers Conference)
Japan's largest conference for game developers, running since 1999. Roughly 200 sessions span engineering, visual arts, sound, and game design, making it the country's central gathering of game and entertainment development expertise. The 2026 edition again runs three days at Pacifico Yokohama North in hybrid format with online attendance.
AI DevEx Conference 2026
A conference on developer productivity and developer experience in the AI era, hosted by Findy as the successor to its Developer Productivity Conference. Under the theme "the future of development productivity and engineering organizations in the AI era," 56+ speakers discuss the relationship between AI and organizations and the evolution of development platforms. Engineering leaders from global big tech companies also take the stage.
PHP Conference Japan 2026
The annual gathering of Japan's PHP community and one of the country's oldest language conferences, first held in 2000. Run by a volunteer committee tied to the Japan PHP Users Group at Ota Industrial Plaza PiO, its home since the first edition. Despite free admission, it packs around 30 accepted talks across multiple tracks, ranging from AI-era development and legacy code to PHP internals such as OPcache and JIT, making it a fixed point for observing where Japan's PHP community stands.
Developers Summit 2026 Summer
The summer edition of Developers Summit (Devsumi), a conference for IT engineers hosted by Shoeisha. Two days of technical sessions and exhibits themed on engineers' contribution to business, co-located with IT Strategy Summit 2026.
SoftBank World
Japan's largest enterprise technology event hosted by SoftBank. Anchored by an executive keynote, it showcases AI, DX, and communications technology trends in a hybrid format.
WebX 2026
One of Asia's largest global Web3 conferences. Companies, financial institutions, investors, developers, and government officials in the crypto and blockchain space gather from around the world. In 2025, 14,115 attendees from 99 countries participated with over 270 speakers.
SRE NEXT 2026
Japan's largest conference dedicated to Site Reliability Engineering, born out of the SRE Lounge community in 2020 and drawing 1,272 attendees in 2025. The 2026 edition runs two days under the theme "Inclusive SRE," serving as the Japanese SRE scene's annual checkpoint where reliability practices are shared across company boundaries.
SORACOM Discovery 2026
Japan's largest IoT conference, hosted by IoT platform provider Soracom. Through keynotes, about 30 specialized sessions, and exhibits from 30+ partners, attendees survey the frontline of AI-plus-IoT industrial applications in a single day. Admission is free; the 2025 edition drew 2,000+ visitors. The 2026 theme explores IoT connecting people and AI.
SPACETIDE 2026
One of the largest international space business conferences in the Asia-Pacific region. Space startups, major corporations, government agencies, and investors gather to discuss the frontlines of satellite, rocket, and space utilization business in both Japanese and English. The 11th edition in 2026.
TECHSPO Tokyo 2026
The Tokyo edition of TECHSPO, a global technology exhibition covering tech, AdTech, MarTech, and SaaS. Developers, marketers, designers, and technology vendors gather to experience, demo, and test the latest technologies. DigiMarCon Japan 2026 is co-located, offering sessions on digital marketing strategy.
IVS 2026
One of Japan's largest startup conferences. Entrepreneurs, investors, and corporations gather in Kyoto for the pitch contest LAUNCHPAD, sessions, and networking. The 2026 edition ran July 1-3 at Miyakomesse with around 13,000 attendees and 340 exhibitors, as LAUNCHPAD marked its 20th anniversary.
AWS Summit Japan
The largest AWS cloud technology event in Japan. Features keynotes, technical sessions, and exhibition booths showcasing the latest cloud services. 69,000 attendees in 2025. Free with pre-registration.
Interop Tokyo 2026
Japan's largest comprehensive network and infrastructure technology event, running since 1994. Features ShowNet for live demonstrations of cutting-edge internet technologies, along with exhibitions and sessions on AI, security, and cloud. Including co-located events like Digital Signage Japan and AI NATIVE EXPO, total attendance reaches 150,000.
TSKaigi 2026
Japan's largest TypeScript conference, organized by the TSKaigi Association. The 2026 edition, themed "Learn, Connect, Break the Mold (Type)," ran for two days at Bellesalle Haneda Airport with about 1,000 on-site and roughly 2,000 total attendees including online. Microsoft's Jake Bailey keynoted on TypeScript 7.
B Dash Camp 2026 Spring in Sapporo
Japan's largest invitation-only startup conference. Founders, public company executives, and VCs gather for panel discussions and the pitch contest 'Pitch Arena,' offering high-density networking. Held twice a year (Spring: Sapporo / Fall: Fukuoka).
SusHi Tech Tokyo 2026
Asia's largest global innovation conference hosted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Startups, corporations, investors, and city representatives from around the world gather to discuss and advance sustainable future societies. The event spans two business days and one public day, attracting over 60,000 visitors in 2025.
RubyKaigi 2026
One of the world's largest international conferences dedicated to the Ruby programming language. Featuring Ruby creator Yukihiro Matsumoto (Matz), Ruby core team members, and developers from around the globe, the event offers deeply technical talks on language implementation, performance optimization, and cutting-edge libraries and frameworks. Held annually since 2006, the conference rotates across cities in Japan.
Startup JAPAN EXPO 2026
Japan's largest startup exhibition operated by Sansan Inc. Over 450 companies exhibit, providing a platform for startups to connect with corporations, investors, and local governments. Efficient networking through the Eight business card app is a key feature. Co-located exhibitions covering manufacturing, logistics, and franchises are also held.
Japan IT Week Spring 2026
Japan's largest comprehensive IT and DX exhibition, comprising multiple specialized shows covering system development, operations, security, AI, and DX. With 1,100 exhibitors, it attracts around 60,000 business professionals for product comparison and business meetings. Held twice annually in spring and autumn.
TEAMZ WEB3/AI SUMMIT 2026
Japan's largest Web3 and AI conference. Entrepreneurs, investors, and developers from over 80 countries gather in Tokyo to discuss the forefront of blockchain, AI, and crypto. Held at the historic Happo-en Japanese garden, it features internationally diverse networking. The core event of Tokyo Web3/AI Week.
AI Expo Spring 2026
One of Japan's largest AI-focused exhibitions. Over 100 companies showcase 200+ AI solutions, with 40+ conference sessions. Attendees can compare cutting-edge AI technologies including generative AI, image recognition, NLP, and physical AI robots. Attracts many corporate professionals exploring AI adoption for business.
PHPerKaigi 2026
A tech conference styled as a "festival by PHPers, for PHPers." Since its 2018 debut it has built a devoted following through its emphasis on attendee interaction — code battles, unconferences, and hallway conversations alongside talks. The 2026 edition ran three days, March 20-22, in Nakano as an offline-online hybrid.
Startup Aquarium 2026
Japan's largest startup career fair, hosted by Coral Capital. The event connects talent interested in startup careers and career changes with hiring-focused startups. Featuring sessions by prominent founders and CxOs, 1-on-1 meeting functionality, and company booths, attendees can explore startup careers from every angle. Growing in scale each year since its 2020 debut, the fifth edition in 2026 expects over 3,000 participants.
FIN/SUM 2026
Japan's largest fintech conference, co-hosted by Nikkei Inc. and the Financial Services Agency. Held in Marunouchi, Tokyo since 2016, it gathers public- and private-sector finance leaders. The 10th edition in 2026, themed "FIN/SUM NEXT," debated the new financial ecosystem shaped by AI and blockchain, with PM Takaichi and BOJ Governor Ueda on stage. It anchors Japan Fintech Week.
DX Comprehensive EXPO 2026 Spring Tokyo
One of Japan's largest comprehensive DX exhibitions, bringing together DX solutions for operational efficiency, work style reform, and business infrastructure. Covers a wide range including SaaS, AI, RPA, cloud, and security. Over 100,000 visitors attend annually across Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka editions.
Developers Summit
A longstanding IT engineer festival since 2003. The 2026 theme is 'Beyond the Code' with 92 sessions and the first Dev x PM Day. A community-driven conference supporting technical knowledge sharing and career development.
Spectrum Tokyo Festival 2026
A two-day "music-festival-like" design festival hosted by the design community Spectrum Tokyo. Every talk is paired with an AMA dialogue, and simultaneous Japanese-English interpretation connects practitioners from Japan and abroad. The 2026 edition moved from its usual December slot to February, drawing 40+ speakers and 400+ attendees to the DMM.com offices in Roppongi.
TechGALA Japan 2026
A city-wide technology and startup festival in Nagoya hosted by the Central Japan Startup Ecosystem Consortium, an industry-academia-government body spanning Aichi, Nagoya, and Hamamatsu. Spread across the Sakae and Tsurumai districts (including STATION Ai), the second edition in January 2026 drew participants from 39 countries and regions, with 5,500+ visitors, 141 sessions, and 250+ exhibits. A follow-up edition, "BEYOND," is planned for December 2026.
IVS 2025
One of Japan's largest startup conferences. Under the theme "Reshape Japan with Global Minds," the 2025 edition drew a record 13,000 attendees (20% from overseas, 21% women) from over 70 countries, with 508 side events and 3,900 matchings, double the prior year. Notion co-founder Ivan Zhao was among the speakers, and Advance Composite won LAUNCHPAD. It also debuted the matching system "4S."
IVS 2024
One of Japan's largest startup conferences. The 2024 edition moved to Kyoto Pulse Plaza and drew 12,000 attendees from 67 countries, with 198 sessions and 307 side events widening its international reach. Female participation hit a then-record 24%. The LAUNCHPAD pitch contest was won by RENATUS ROBOTICS with its automated warehouse system.
IVS 2023
One of Japan's largest startup conferences. The 2023 edition was a turning point, moving to Kyoto for the first time and dropping its invitation-only format for open registration. Around 10,000 people attended, with over 20% from overseas. The LAUNCHPAD pitch contest drew a record 400 applicants, with care-tech startup aba taking the win. IVS Crypto ran alongside, underscoring the Web3 presence.