Tokyo Is Hosting a Major Tech Conference That Brings Startups and Governments Together

Tokyo's city government and the tech news outlet TechCrunch have teamed up to run SusHi Tech Tokyo 2026, a conference happening April 27-29 that aims to connect Japan's growing tech world with Silicon Valley's startup scene. One winner from Tokyo's startup competition will get a ticket to compete at TechCrunch Disrupt, a major startup showcase.

The event takes place at Tokyo Big Sight. April 27-28 is focused on business and industry professionals, while April 29 is free and open to the public.

What Gets Covered: AI

The artificial intelligence sessions feature speakers from major hardware and cloud companies. Nvidia will talk about the foundations that make AI work, AWS will discuss how companies are using AI in their operations, and venture capitalists will explain where investment money is flowing.

The conference also hosts an AI Film Festival Japan in a partner event. This signals that Tokyo is thinking about AI in creative industries like animation and filmmaking, not just in office buildings and data centers.

Software-Defined Vehicles and Robots

This section focuses on self-driving trucks and commercial robots. Speakers include executives from Japanese automakers Nissan and Isuzu, plus a company called Applied Intuition that builds testing software for self-driving vehicles. The focus is on trucks and delivery vehicles rather than consumer cars — a practical choice, since Japan faces a shortage of truck drivers as its population ages.

Cybersecurity and Protecting Infrastructure

Cybersecurity experts from major Asian security companies Trend Micro and NEC are speaking. Their sessions will cover protecting computer systems against attacks, with an emphasis on critical infrastructure like power grids and hospitals. The conference also includes hands-on tours of Tokyo's flood control system and a virtual reality disaster simulator, so attendees can see real examples of how cities protect themselves.

Money and Climate Technology

The climate technology sessions will feature venture capitalists from global climate investment firms Breakthrough Energy and Cleantech Group. These experts will discuss how money is flowing into climate solutions across Asia-Pacific. The takeaway: developing climate technology is not just about engineering — it also depends on having investors willing to fund it.

Animation and Entertainment Technology

Three major Japanese animation studios — Production I.G, MAPPA, and CoMix Wave Films — will participate and discuss how they use technology in making films and shows. Animation is one of Japan's biggest cultural exports, and the conference treats it seriously as an industry where new technology can make a real difference in how work gets done.

How You Can Join

The conference has a hybrid setup. If you are in Tokyo, you can attend in person. If you are remote, you can watch sessions online. The conference uses a system where in-person and remote attendees can interact in real time.

The reality of conference design since 2020 is straightforward: purely virtual events do not work well for the deal-making and relationship-building that conferences are actually for. This setup tries to solve that problem.

Why a City Government Is Organizing a Tech Conference

At the same time as the tech sessions, Tokyo's city government is meeting with leaders from 55 cities around the world. They are discussing how to use technology to handle climate change and natural disasters. This effort is part of a larger global network that Tokyo started organizing in 2022.

This pairing of a startup conference with municipal leadership is worth noting. It signals something real about how technology gets deployed in the world: companies and investors cannot do it alone. Cities need to be part of the conversation, too. By putting startup competition, enterprise sessions, city government meetings, and public events all in one place, Tokyo is acknowledging that technology adoption at scale requires coordination across government, business, and investment.

For anyone curious about how technology works in Japan and across Asia, this conference offers a window into how practical problems — aging workforces, climate risk, infrastructure resilience — shape what new technology gets developed and where money gets invested. The speaker lineup and sessions suggest the content will be grounded in real applications rather than hype.