"Conference Program" announced, with 20 sessions over two days (published in Label Shimbun, May 15 issue, page 3)

Held for two days, October 14th (Wednesday) and 15th (Thursday), at the Tokyo Big Sight International Conference Hall, the largest conference venue.

Label Forum Japan 2026, one of the largest label-specific events in Japan, will be held at Tokyo Big Sight in Ariake, Koto-ku, from Wednesday, October 14, to Friday, October 16. It is organized by Label Shimbunsha.
In addition to the "Exhibition" held in West Hall 3, the "Conference" will be held for two days, October 14 and 15 (Thursday), in the International Conference Hall on the 7th floor of the Tokyo Big Sight Conference Tower.
This conference, which is the eighth since its first edition in 2006, will be held in the largest venue to date.

The conference is divided into six categories: Keynote, Brand, Converter, Industry Association, Academic, and Technical. All sessions will be conducted with simultaneous Japanese-English interpretation, making for an international program with nearly half of the speakers from overseas.

Keynote speeches will include an explanation of the domestic label market trends by the editorial department of this newspaper, as well as a presentation on the latest global market trends by Mr. Andy Thomas of Informa Markets, a UK company that organizes LOUPE (formerly Label Expo Global Series). Amid global uncertainties such as conflicts in the Middle East, rising material prices, and supply chain disruptions, they will analyze the direction and growth areas of the label industry. Additionally, the Technical Keynote speeches will feature Mr. Makoto Inoue, Deputy Manager of the Technology and Development Department at Lintec Corporation, and Mr. Tomoaki Kimura, Manager of the Label Press Business Promotion Department at Seiko Epson Corporation. They will discuss the latest trends in label converting technology, including environmental対応 and the expanding digital printing market.

In the Brand Session, Mr. Hiroyuki Osawa, General Manager of the Sustainability Promotion Department at FamilyMart, will speak on the theme "The enormous impact created by a single label ~Another function of 'communicable design' that solves social issues~," introducing new roles for labels. Mr. Koji Okutani, COCO of Oisix Ra Daichi, will speak on the theme "How do brands 'chosen' in the digital age design the customer experience?", discussing marketing strategies that connect customer touchpoints to the customer experience. Additionally, Mr. Andy Block, CEO of Spanner, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, USA, which has handled numerous label and packaging productions for major global brands, will visit Japan. Based on actual label case studies, he will explain the production and quality control systems required by global brands, including color reproduction, quality management, and production workflow construction.

The Converter Session will feature Mr. Tadashi Matsuguchi, President and CEO of OSP Holdings, Mr. Yuki Nori Okamoto, CEO of goof, and Mr. Alex May, CSO of Cymmetrik Group, which is headquartered in Taiwan and operates in Asia and the US. Mr. Matsuguchi will speak on the theme of "Sustainability of the Label Business," discussing sustainable business strategies in light of the shift to an inflationary economy and changing values. Mr. Okamoto will discuss label branding in the increasingly borderless digital age, based on his experience operating a 100% digital printing factory, and the value of a print infrastructure that accompanies customer businesses. Mr. May will introduce the promotion of transformation in Asian-based label printing companies through innovation, sustainability, and globalization.

The Industry Association Session will feature Mr. Ray Weiss, who oversees education and certification at the printing-related organization PRINTING United Alliance, headquartered in Virginia, USA, and the Japan Federation of Label Printing Cooperatives (JFLP). Mr. Weiss will lecture on topics such as the latest trends in the North American and global printing markets, as well as methods for human resource development in the printing industry. In the final session on the second day, the JFLP, which will hold its "Annual Convention and Tokyo Convention" at the Tokyo Big Sight Reception Hall the following day, will feature Mr. Yu Tanaka, President, Mr. Hidenori Abe, President of the Youth Division Council, and Mr. Yohei Akimoto, Representative Director of NOROSHI. They will engage in a panel discussion on the theme of "Value creation through collective intelligence in the coming AI society."

In the Academic Session, Ms. Qianning Ma, a special researcher at the Omori Seminar, Graduate School of Creative Science and Engineering, Waseda University, will give a lecture. She will explain how to build an optimal supply chain for label manufacturing, on the theme of "Research on an Optimal Supply Chain for Label Manufacturing - Optimization of Order Reception, Equipment Operation, and Order Placement and Reception."

The Technical Session will feature domestic and international suppliers including ▽GEW▽BOBST▽HP▽Zykron Japan▽Heidelberg Japan▽Roland DG. They will present specific technical proposals for environmental response, automation, and labor saving, focusing on label printing machines and ink curing technology. During breaks, a networking area will be set up in the lobby for Q&A with speakers and business card exchange. Details of the conference can be found on the dedicated website.

Conference pass applications begin in June

The conference will be held concurrently with the exhibition in West Hall 3 of Tokyo Big Sight, and for the first time in the International Conference Hall within the same facility. This will be the eighth time since 2006, and the venue used will be the largest ever. The venue is equipped for international conferences with facilities and capacity, and features fixed, theater-style seating. Each seat has a pull-out portable table. Conference passes will go on sale from Monday, June 1st.

Two types of conference passes are available: "1-day" and "2-day." The prices are: 1-day regular price 20,000 yen, early bird 15,000 yen; 2-day regular price 27,000 yen, early bird 20,000 yen (all prices include tax). The early bird discount is valid until Wednesday, September 30th.

Additionally, 1-day passes can be purchased without specifying the participation date. Purchasers by the end of July will receive benefits such as priority entry lanes and priority seating in the front. For companies and organizations, a system is also available where one person is free for every 10 bulk purchases. For pass details and purchase, please visit the dedicated website.