The Web3 craze is heating up in Japan: institutional participation, policy shifts, and growing calls for "crypto ETFs"—TEAMZ Web3 / AI SUMMIT 2026 announces heavyweight political guests, and all title

Japan's Web3 industry is experiencing accelerated growth in 2026, marked by increased institutional investment, supportive government policy shifts, and a maturing ecosystem. The TEAMZ Web3 / AI SUMMIT 2026, Japan's largest summit in this field, highlights this momentum with major announcements.

  • Key Political Endorsement: High-profile political figures, including Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama and Democratic Party for the People leader Yuichiro Tamaki, have confirmed attendance, signaling strong government engagement with the digital asset sector.
  • Major Policy & Market Trends:
    • The government is pushing for crypto integration into traditional markets and supports the creation of cryptocurrency ETFs.
    • Plans are underway to significantly reduce crypto capital gains taxes from 55% to 20%, aligning them with stock taxes.
    • Institutional adoption is moving beyond experimentation into systematic promotion, with "Digital Asset Treasury" becoming a corporate trend.
  • Summit Details & Scale:
    • Theme & Venue: "Tradition Meets Tomorrow," to be held at the historic Happo-en garden in Tokyo, blending cutting-edge tech with traditional aesthetics.
    • Major Participation: All 10 top-tier "Title Sponsor" slots are sold out, with industry leaders like XRP, Cardano, SBI VCT, and EMURGO on board.
    • Star-Studded Lineup: Features a first wave of guests from global giants like Tether, Trust Wallet, and Ledger, alongside top Japanese industry figures.
    • Ecosystem Support: Backed by over 100 media and community partners, and receiving official support from Japan's three major crypto industry associations (JCBA, JVCEA, JBA).
    • Event Logistics: Scheduled for April 7-8, 2026, with 130+ speakers and an expected 10,000+ attendees.

The summit underscores Japan's transition from crypto speculation to application-focused development, positioning itself as a central hub for Web3 and AI convergence.

Summary

Entering 2026, Japan's Web3 industry is ushering in a new period of acceleration: on the one hand, traditional financial institutions such as banks, securities firms, and trusts continue to increase their investment, from RWA and security tokens to 24/7 tokenized trading platforms, and institutional entry has moved from "trial and error" to "systematic promotion".

On the other hand, the Japanese government has released clearer signals of support. Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama recently stated publicly that he supports introducing cryptocurrency trading mechanisms into traditional market systems such as stock exchanges and commodity exchanges, and, referencing US cryptocurrency ETFs, promotes the "compliant entry of digital assets such as BTC and ETH into mainstream investment channels."

Meanwhile, Japan is also accelerating its reform of the cryptocurrency tax system: multiple media outlets have reported that Japan plans to reduce the current maximum tax rate of 55% on cryptocurrency gains to 20%, similar to that of stocks, and introduce a more comprehensive regulatory framework and investor protection mechanism to further unleash the potential for innovation.

On the enterprise side, "DAT (Digital Asset Treasury)" has become a new trend - more and more companies are trying to include digital assets in their balance sheets as reserves or part of their financial strategies, driving the market's popularity to continue to rise.

On the community side, the number of Web3 developers, researchers, and startup communities is steadily increasing, and the industry is gradually moving from speculative transactions to "application implementation and commercialization," with Japan forming a more mature ecosystem network.

Against this macro backdrop, TEAMZ Web3 / AI SUMMIT 2026 , Japan's largest Web3 and AI technology summit, has officially released its latest updates: Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama and Democratic Party for the People representative Yuichiro Tamaki have confirmed their appearances, and the first wave of star guests has been announced; at the same time, all 10 of the conference's top-tier "Title Sponsor" seats have been sold out , with leading industry players gathering in Tokyo.

Finance Minister Katayama and representative Yuichiro Tamaki have confirmed their appearance on stage, further escalating political attention surrounding TEAMZ SUMMIT 2026.

The organizers announced that Satsuki Katayama (Minister of Finance/Minister of Financial Services) will attend TEAMZ Summit 2026 and deliver a speech. Minister Katayama has long been focused on financial system reform and industrial restructuring. His appearance at this time, as Japan accelerates the development of digital assets and financial innovation, is seen as an important signal of further dialogue between policy and industry.

Meanwhile, Yuichiro Tamaki, representative of the Democratic Party for the People and member of the House of Representatives, has also confirmed his appearance on stage. Representative Tamaki previously worked at the Ministry of Finance (formerly the Ministry of Finance) and has extensive administrative experience in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Financial Services Agency, and the Osaka National Tax Bureau. He has significant influence on the topic of "digital finance, industrial policy, and international competition."

Web3 × AI Expands Comprehensively: From "Encryption" to "Next-Generation Industrial Infrastructure"

TEAMZ SUMMIT has always been an important platform connecting global Web3 industry resources. The 2026 conference will undergo a significant upgrade: not only will it continue to cover core Web3 topics, but it will also expand its focus to the **AI (Artificial Intelligence)** field, bringing the intersection of "on-chain economy" and "intelligent revolution" to the forefront.

The theme of this year's conference is "Tradition Meets Tomorrow ." For the first time, the conference will be held at Happo-en, a renowned Japanese garden with a 400-year history . The organizers stated that they will present the cutting-edge technology of "blockchain and AI integration" in a traditional space filled with Eastern aesthetics and ritual, allowing attendees to experience the real-world application of future technology in a setting different from traditional convention centers.

The first wave of star-studded guests has been announced: Top Web3 and AI runners will gather in Tokyo.

In addition to the two prominent political figures, the conference also announced several other heavyweight guests from both the international and Japanese communities, including but not limited to:

Subash (Tether) , Michael Terpin (Transform Ventures) , Kongsoo (Matsuo Laboratory Co., Ltd.)

Nick DiSisto (Trust Wallet) , Takatoshi Shibayama (Ledger)

Genki Oda (JVCEA) , Sota Watanabe (Startale Group) , Tomohiko Kondo (SBI VC Trade)

Takeru Kotama (EMURGO) , Mai Furukawa (XRPL Japan) , Hirono Kunimitsu (Fuji Co., Ltd.)

Vineet Budki (Sigma Capital) , Ken Kawai (Anderson Mori & Tomotsune)

Dr. Salim (Maidaan AI) , Tatsuya Saito (Progmat) , Hajime Saito (Hajime & Sato Law Firm)

Marc Piano (Horizons Global) , Anand Iyer (Canonical)

Together with top players from the global and Japanese industries, we will cover key tracks in Web3 and AI.

All 10 title sponsorship slots sold out: Industry leaders such as XRP, Cardano, SBI VCT, Startale, and EMURGO participated.

The organizers also announced that all 10 seats for the most prestigious title sponsorship at this year's conference have been sold out in advance . Key global industry players including XRP, Cardano, SBI VCT, Startale, EMURGO, AAC, and Envo have confirmed their partnerships as top-tier partners for the 2026 TEAMZ SUMMIT.

In addition, more sponsorships and exhibition area collaborations are underway, and Web3/AI companies from all over the world will gather at Happoen in Tokyo to showcase the latest technologies, promote ecosystem cooperation, and build global partnerships.

For information regarding sponsoring companies, please visit the official website : https://www.teamz.co.jp/2026/participants

Collaboration with 100+ media and community partners: Conference content will be disseminated globally in real time.

TEAMZ SUMMIT 2026 boasts over 100 media partners, community partners, VC partners, and supporting organizations , forming a powerful global communication network. Releases and discussions at the conference will be disseminated in real-time through multinational media and vertical communities, enhancing the global exposure and business matchmaking efficiency of participating companies and projects.

Media partners include mainstream industry media such as Cointelegraph Global, CoinPost, bitcoin.com, Cointelegraph Japan, BlockBeats, Foresight News, Crypto Times, PANews, Jinse Finance, BlockTempo, Iolite, and Pacific Meta .

Community partners include: PALacademy, Akindo, Hakuhodo Key3, Progmat, Shibuya Web3 University, CIC Tokyo, Tokyo Fintech , etc.

The number of VC and investment partners continues to expand, with international capital participation increasing , including Draper Associates, Dragonfly, Blockchain Capital, Wintertermute, Hyperithm, NGC Ventures, and SevenX Ventures .

For information regarding media partners, community partners, VC partners, and support organizations, please visit the official website : https://www.teamz.co.jp/2026/participants

Japan's three major industry associations have confirmed their support: JCBA, JVCEA, and JBA will provide official support for two consecutive years.

The conference also confirmed the three representative institutions in Japan's Web3 and crypto asset industry:

Japan Crypto Asset Business Association (JCBA)

Japan Crypto Asset Exchange Association (JVCEA)

Japan Blockchain Association (JBA)

We will continue to provide support for TEAMZ Web3 / AI SUMMIT in 2026, providing stronger endorsement for the conference's professionalism, compliance and industry influence.

TEAMZ Web3 / AI SUMMIT 2026 Conference Information (Official)

Dates: April 7 (Tuesday) – April 8 (Wednesday), 2026

Location: Happoen (Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo)

Topic: Tradition Meets Tomorrow

Guest size: 130+

Expected number of attendees: 10,000+

Official website: https://web3.teamz.co.jp/

Ticketing page: https://web3.teamz.co.jp/en/tickets-list-2026

About TEAMZ

TEAMZ is a global accelerator focusing on Web3 and AI , promoting the development of Japan's innovation ecosystem through summit events, marketing, business collaborations, and ecosystem connections. Its flagship event, the TEAMZ Web3 / AI Summit, attracts participants from over 50 countries and regions annually, connecting entrepreneurs, investors, businesses, and government agencies to create a global platform for business collaboration.

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Author: 活动集

This article represents the views of PANews columnist and does not represent PANews' position or legal liability.

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