Japan's Web3 Boom Intensifies: Institutional Entry, Policy Shift, and Growing Demand for 'Crypto ETF-ization'—TEAMZ Web3/AI SUMMIT 2026 Announces Major Political Guests, Title Sponsorship Slots Sold Out

marsbitPublished on 2026-01-12Last updated on 2026-01-12

Abstract

Japan's Web3 sector is accelerating in 2026, marked by increased institutional adoption from banks and financial firms, and a significant policy shift from the government. Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama has publicly endorsed integrating crypto assets into traditional exchanges, citing US crypto ETF model as a reference. Concurrently, a major reform is underway to reduce the crypto tax rate from up to 55% to 20%, aligning it with stock investments. Against this backdrop, the TEAMZ Web3 / AI SUMMIT 2026 has announced its first wave of high-profile speakers, including Minister Katayama and Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party for the People. The event, themed "Tradition Meets Tomorrow," will be held at the historic Happo-en Garden in Tokyo and will focus on the convergence of Web3 and AI. The summit's top-tier Title Sponsor slots are already sold out, with major industry players like XRP, Cardano, and SBI VC Trade participating. Over 130 speakers and 10,000 attendees are expected, supported by more than 100 media and community partners, as well as Japan's three major crypto industry associations. The event aims to showcase real-world applications and foster global business collaboration.

Entering 2026, Japan's Web3 industry is experiencing a new wave of acceleration: on one hand, traditional financial institutions such as banks, securities firms, and trusts are continuously increasing their involvement, moving from "testing the waters" to "systematic advancement" in areas ranging from RWA and security tokens to 24/7 tokenized trading platforms.

On the other hand, the Japanese government is sending clearer signals of support. Japan's Minister of Finance, Satsuki Katayama, recently stated publicly that she supports the introduction of crypto asset trading mechanisms into traditional market systems such as stock exchanges and commodity exchanges. Citing U.S. crypto ETFs as a reference, she advocates for a direction that allows digital assets like BTC and ETH to "enter mainstream investment channels compliantly."

Simultaneously, Japan's crypto tax reform is also accelerating: multiple media outlets have reported that Japan plans to reduce the maximum crypto asset profit tax rate from the current 55% to 20%, similar to stocks, and introduce a more comprehensive regulatory framework and investor protection mechanisms to further unleash innovation potential.

On the corporate side, "DAT (Digital Asset Treasury Strategy)" has become a new trend—more companies are experimenting with incorporating digital assets into their balance sheets as reserves or part of financial strategies, driving sustained market enthusiasm.

On the community side, the number of Web3 developers, researchers, and entrepreneurial communities is steadily growing. The industry is gradually shifting from speculative trading to "application implementation and commercialization," forming a more mature ecosystem in Japan.

Against this macro backdrop, Japan's largest Web3 and AI technology summit—TEAMZ Web3 / AI SUMMIT 2026—has officially announced its latest progress: Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama and Democratic Party for the People Representative Yuichiro Tamaki have confirmed their attendance, with the first wave of distinguished guests announced; simultaneously, the top-tier "Title Sponsor" slots, all 10 positions, have been completely sold out, with industry leaders converging on Tokyo.

Finance Minister Katayama and Representative Tamaki Confirm Attendance, Elevating TEAMZ SUMMIT 2026's Political Profile

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 focused on financial system reform and industrial structure升级. Her attendance is seen as a significant signal of "further dialogue between policy and industry" as Japan accelerates its advancement in digital assets and financial innovation.

Simultaneously, Democratic Party for the People Representative, Member of the House of Representatives Yuichiro Tamaki has also confirmed his attendance. Representative Tamaki previously worked at Japan's Ministry of Finance (formerly the Ministry of the Treasury) and has extensive administrative experience in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Financial Services Agency, and the Osaka National Tax Agency. He holds significant influence on issues related to "digital finance, industrial policy, and international competition."

Web3 × AI Comprehensive Expansion: From "Crypto" to "Next-Generation Industrial Infrastructure"

TEAMZ SUMMIT has always been an important platform connecting global Web3 industry resources. The 2026 summit will undergo a significant upgrade: not only continuing to cover core Web3 topics but also expanding重点 into the **AI (Artificial Intelligence)** field, bringing the convergence point of "on-chain economy" and "intelligent revolution" to the forefront.

The theme of this year's summit is "Tradition Meets Tomorrow". The event will be held for the first time at the historic 400-year-old Japanese garden landmark—Happo-en. The organizers stated that they will present the technological frontier of "blockchain and AI integration" within a traditional space full of Eastern aesthetics and a sense of ceremony, allowing attendees to experience the real-world implementation of future technology in a setting different from conventional exhibition centers.

First Wave of Distinguished Guests Announced: Top Runners in Web3 and AI Gather in Tokyo

In addition to the two heavyweight political guests, the summit has announced several other influential international and domestic Japanese guests, including but not limited to:

●Subash (Tether), Michael Terpin (Transform Ventures), Kim Kong Soo (Matsuo Research Institute Co., Ltd.)

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

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

●Kodama Ken (EMURGO), Mai Furukawa (XRPL Japan), Kunikou Hirotaka (Financier Co., Ltd.)

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

●Dr. Salim (Maidaan AI), Saito Tatsuya (Progmat), Saito So (So Saito Law Office)

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

and other "top runners" from the global and Japanese industry frontlines, collectively covering key tracks in Web3 and AI.

All 10 Title Sponsorship Slots Sold Out: Industry Leaders Like XRP, Cardano, SBI VCT, Startale, EMURGO Join the Fray

The organizers also announced that the summit's core partnership level—Title Sponsor—all 10 slots have been sold out in advance. Major global industry forces including XRP, Cardano, SBI VCT, Startale, EMURGO, AAC, Envo have confirmed their status as top-tier partners for the 2026 TEAMZ SUMMIT.

Beyond this, more sponsorship and exhibition area collaborations are ongoing, with Web3/AI companies from around the world gathering at Happo-en in Tokyo for the latest technology showcases, ecosystem collaborations, and global partnership building.

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

100+ Media and Community Partners Collaborate: Conference Content to Be Distributed Globally in Real-Time

TEAMZ SUMMIT 2026's media partners, community partners, VC partners, and supporting organizations total over 100, forming a powerful global dissemination network. Announcements and discussions from the conference venue will be distributed in real-time through media outlets and vertical communities in multiple countries, enhancing global exposure and business matching efficiency for exhibiting companies and projects.

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

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

VC and investment institution partners are also continuously expanding, with increasing participation from international capital including:Draper Associates, Dragonfly, Blockchain Capital, Wintermute, Hyperithm, NGC Ventures, SevenX Ventures.

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

Backing from Japan's Three Major Industry Associations Confirmed: JCBA, JVCEA, JBA Provide Official Support for the Second Consecutive Year

The summit also confirmed that Japan's three major representative Web3 and crypto asset industry bodies:

●Japan Cryptoasset Business Association (JCBA)

●Japan Virtual and Crypto assets Exchange Association (JVCEA)

●Japan Blockchain Association (JBA)

will continue to provide backing support for the TEAMZ Web3 / AI SUMMIT 2026, offering stronger endorsement for the summit's professionalism, compliance, and industry influence.

TEAMZ Web3 / AI SUMMIT 2026 Conference Information (Official)

●Time: April 7 (Tuesday) — April 8 (Wednesday), 2026

●Location: Happo-en (Shibakoen, Minato-ku, Tokyo)

●Theme:Tradition Meets Tomorrow

●Number of Guests: 130+

●Expected 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 focused on Web3 and AI, promoting the development of Japan's innovation ecosystem through summit events, marketing, corporate collaboration, and ecosystem connectivity. Its flagship event, the TEAMZ Web3 / AI Summit, attracts participants from over 50 countries and regions annually, connecting entrepreneurs, investors, corporations, and government agencies to create a global business collaboration platform.

Related Questions

QWhat are the key factors driving the recent acceleration of Japan's Web3 industry in 2026?

AThe key factors include traditional financial institutions (banks, securities companies, trusts) increasing their involvement in areas like RWA and security tokens, a clear supportive signal from the Japanese government with the Finance Minister endorsing crypto asset trading mechanisms in traditional markets, and a planned reduction of the crypto asset profit tax rate from up to 55% to 20% to align with stocks.

QWhich prominent Japanese political figures are confirmed to speak at the TEAMZ Web3 / AI SUMMIT 2026 and what is their significance?

AFinance Minister Satsuki Katayama and Democratic Party for the People representative Yuichiro Tamaki are confirmed speakers. Their participation is seen as a significant signal for further dialogue between policy and industry, given their influence in financial system reform and digital finance policy.

QWhat is the theme and notable location for the TEAMZ Web3 / AI SUMMIT 2026, and what does it represent?

AThe theme is 'Tradition Meets Tomorrow' and it will be held at Happo-en, a historic 400-year-old Japanese garden. This location choice aims to present the fusion of blockchain and AI technology within a traditional, aesthetically rich space, symbolizing a blend of heritage and future innovation.

QWhich major industry players have secured the Title Sponsor slots for the summit, and what does this indicate?

AThe ten Title Sponsor slots are sold out to major industry players including XRP, Cardano, SBI VCT, Startale, EMURGO, AAC, and Envo. This indicates strong commitment and gathering of leading global Web3 forces in Tokyo for the event.

QWhat are the expected scale and support for the TEAMZ Web3 / AI SUMMIT 2026 in terms of attendance and institutional backing?

AThe summit expects over 10,000 attendees and features 130+ speakers. It has the official support of Japan's three major Web3 industry associations (JCBA, JVCEA, JBA) and over 100 media, community, and VC partners, ensuring wide global dissemination and professional credibility.

Related Reads

Near Returns to the AI Stage: Transformation into a Public Chain Due to 'Payroll Difficulties,' Agent and Privacy Emerge as New Growth Narratives

NEAR Returns to AI Origins: From Payroll Struggles to Blockchain, Now Focusing on AI Agents and Privacy NEAR Protocol's journey began not with grand blockchain ambitions, but from a practical hurdle: its AI startup founders, including Transformer paper co-author Illia Polosukhin, couldn't efficiently pay international developers in 2017. This led them to pivot and build a high-performance, scalable blockchain. After years navigating various crypto narratives like sharding and cross-chain interoperability, NEAR is now leveraging its AI roots to re-enter the AI arena. A key driver is its "NEAR Intents" layer, which abstracts complex cross-chain transactions. Users simply state their goal (e.g., swap BTC for ETH), and a solver network finds the optimal route. This system has processed over $20B in cross-chain volume, generating significant fee revenue. A major growth area is private transactions via "Confidential Intents/Swaps," which hide trade details until settlement to protect against MEV and front-running. Remarkably, private swaps recently accounted for over 40% of NEAR's transaction volume, highlighting strong demand but also potential regulatory scrutiny. With its AI-founder pedigree, NEAR is positioning itself at the intersection of blockchain, AI agents, and privacy, aiming to become infrastructure for the emerging agent economy while navigating the challenges of its rapid adoption.

marsbit5m ago

Near Returns to the AI Stage: Transformation into a Public Chain Due to 'Payroll Difficulties,' Agent and Privacy Emerge as New Growth Narratives

marsbit5m ago

From Ethereum to AI's 'CROPS': What Exactly is This Set of 'Slow Variables' That Vitalik Repeatedly Emphasizes?

In recent discussions, Vitalik Buterin has frequently emphasized the concept of "CROPS," a framework defining core values for Ethereum's development. CROPS stands for Censorship Resistance, Capture Resistance, Open Source, Privacy, and Security. Initially outlined in the Ethereum Foundation's "EF Mandate," it represents a commitment to user sovereignty, ensuring that the network resists external control, remains open, protects privacy, and prioritizes security. The relevance of CROPS extends beyond Ethereum's foundational principles, becoming crucial in the context of AI integration. As AI agents begin handling wallet operations and automated transactions, the risk increases that users may cede control over their digital assets, privacy, and intentions to centralized AI service providers. A "CROPS AI" would therefore emphasize local execution where possible, privacy-preserving remote model calls (e.g., using zero-knowledge proofs), and transparent, verifiable processes to maintain user agency. Vitalik highlights a significant convergence between "CROPS Ethereum access layer" and "CROPS AI." Both address the same fundamental challenge: how users can access powerful services—be it blockchain data via RPCs or AI models—without exposing sensitive information or relinquishing ultimate control. This intersection points toward a future digital entry point that is more private, secure, and user-controlled. Ultimately, CROPS is not merely an abstract ideal but a practical guidepost. It steers development—from protocol resilience and wallet design to AI agent safety—towards a future where users retain self-sovereignty even as digital systems grow more complex and powerful. In an era of accelerating AI adoption, these "slow variables" of censorship resistance, openness, privacy, and security may define Ethereum's enduring value.

marsbit15m ago

From Ethereum to AI's 'CROPS': What Exactly is This Set of 'Slow Variables' That Vitalik Repeatedly Emphasizes?

marsbit15m ago

Zcash Bug Could Have Minted Unlimited ZEC Undetected

A critical vulnerability in Zcash's Orchard shielded pool, discovered by researcher Taylor Hornby on May 29, 2026, could have allowed an attacker to create an unlimited amount of undetectable counterfeit ZEC. The flaw, involving an under-constrained element in the Orchard circuit, existed from the pool's 2022 activation until an emergency fix was deployed by June 2, 2026. Hornby identified the bug using AI-assisted auditing tools and confirmed its exploitability in a test environment. Due to Orchard's privacy features, which hide transaction amounts and history, there is no cryptographic way to prove whether the vulnerability was exploited before the fix. While Shielded Labs assesses prior exploitation as unlikely, this uncertainty has sparked a debate on proving supply integrity in privacy-preserving systems. In response, Shielded Labs and other developers are exploring a network upgrade, potentially involving a new shielded pool and formal verification of the circuit rules to prevent future vulnerabilities and allow verification of the ZEC supply's integrity. ZEC's price fell nearly 45% following the disclosure.

bitcoinist24m ago

Zcash Bug Could Have Minted Unlimited ZEC Undetected

bitcoinist24m ago

Silicon Valley 'Startup Guru' Steve Hoffman: Web3 + AI Could Be a Trap

Silicon Valley investor and "Godfather of Startups" Steve Hoffman warns that combining Web3 with AI is likely a trap, not a promising venture. In an interview, Hoffman argues that while AI is a foundational technology touching all industries, Web3 adds complexity, friction, and regulatory risk without solving mainstream consumer or business needs. He advises founders to focus on deep, specialized applications where startups can out-iterate giants, rather than on generic features easily replicated by large tech companies. Hoffman observes that Silicon Valley will lead foundational AI research, while China excels at rapid, large-scale application and commercialization, particularly in robotics. He stresses that AI-driven autonomous agents capable of collaborative, multi-step tasks are 2-4 years away, which will cause significant job displacement. The solution is not to slow AI but to redesign business models around human-AI collaboration and reform social systems like education and retraining. For startups, Hoffman recommends focusing on vertical, expertise-heavy domains to build defensibility. He sees major opportunities in AI fraud detection and cybersecurity. Key founder mindsets include systemic thinking over feature-focus, relentless customer centricity, building adaptive teams, and deeply understanding AI's capabilities and limits. Hoffman is also leading a non-profit initiative to establish university centers aimed at training future leaders in responsible, human-value-aligned AI innovation.

marsbit1h ago

Silicon Valley 'Startup Guru' Steve Hoffman: Web3 + AI Could Be a Trap

marsbit1h ago

Token Inefficient, Economy Tokenless

The article "Tokens Aren't Economical, Economics Aren't Tokenized" analyzes a pivotal shift in the AI industry from a technology-driven narrative to one dominated by capital efficiency. It highlights two concurrent trends: a severe capital shortage due to the exorbitant and recurring costs of compute (e.g., OpenAI's high burn rate) and a wave of corporate spin-offs where major tech companies are separating their AI units (like Kuaishou's Kling and Baidu's Kunlunxin). The core argument is that AI's "anti-internet" business model, where user growth increases costs rather than profits, has created a disconnect between high valuations and actual cash flow. Spin-offs address this by allowing AI assets to be valued independently. Within a parent company, they are seen as cost centers, but as standalone entities, they are priced based on their growth potential and scarcity in the primary market, leading to massive valuation premiums (e.g., Kling's estimated value tripling post-spin-off). The industry is at an inflection point, moving from "model worship" to "value realization." The competition is evolving from a pure compute (GPU) race to a broader focus on systemic efficiency and full-stack engineering (involving CPUs and orchestration) to achieve viable commercialization. The year 2026 is framed as a critical moment where the industry must definitively answer how to economically translate AI capability into tangible business value, reshaping the sector's future power structure.

marsbit1h ago

Token Inefficient, Economy Tokenless

marsbit1h ago

Trading

Spot
Futures

Hot Articles

Discussions

Welcome to the HTX Community. Here, you can stay informed about the latest platform developments and gain access to professional market insights. Users' opinions on the price of S (S) are presented below.

活动图片

Top Questions

Hot Categoriesright-arrow

Hot Tagsright-arrow