The city of Arlington will host the Japan-Texas Economic Summit next year when it returns to the state after an eight-year absence.
The three-day summit, a gathering of business, investment and political leaders, will be May 11-13, 2026, and will assemble top leaders from Japan and Texas to deepen cross-border ties amid global trade shifts and economic realignment. The event will be held at Arlington’s Live! by Loews hotel, 600 E. Randol Mill Road.
“This is more than a conference. It’s a strategic signal,” said Sachi Hamai, chair of the U.S.-Japan Council’s board of directors. “As bilateral trade discussions intensify, the Japan-Texas Economic Summit reflects a shared commitment to partnership through commercial vision, policy alignment and real investment.”
The summit will be hosted by USJC in partnership with the city of Arlington and Arlington Economic Development Corp. as title sponsors and ABeam Consulting as organizing sponsor. USJC said the 2026 summit revives a landmark initiative that was first launched in 2018 and returns as an annual signature event for strengthening U.S.-Japan economic ties.
Organizers said the event will take place against the backdrop of evolving U.S.-Japan trade dynamics and growing regional alignment on supply chain resilience and industrial policy.
“We’re fortunate to have prominent USJC leaders such as Donna Cole, Mark Okada and Steve Sakanashi who reside in Texas,” said Audrey Yamamoto, president and CEO of the U.S.-Japan Council. “Their leadership, in-state networks and knowledge of the local economy is shaping an agenda that will resonate broadly and highlight Texas’ pivotal role in advancing U.S.-Japan relations.”
The summit will attract subnational leaders, including governors, mayors, government agency officials and top corporate executives, USJC said.
USJC said the first Japan-Texas Economic Summit was hosted in 2018 in Houston and gathered more than 400 leaders across industry and government.
Since then, USJC said that Texas has emerged as a top state for Japanese-affiliated companies and one of the fastest-growing destinations for foreign direct investment.
Between 2011 and 2021, USJC said that employment by Japanese firms in Texas more than doubled, reaching over 75,000 jobs and far outpacing the national average.
“The 2018 summit, combined with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s Statement of Mutual Cooperation with Gov. Hideaki Ohmura of Aichi Prefecture last year, reveals a deep appetite to strengthen Japan-Texas ties,” said Sakanashi, chair of the Japan-Texas Economic Summit. “The 2026 summit will build on that momentum and become the permanent gathering point for our two economies to plan for the future.”
USJC said that Arlington will serve as host city for three consecutive years, anchoring the summit in DFW, an area that is anticipated to become the third-largest metropolitan region in the United States by the 2030s.
USJC said that programming for the 2026 summit will include:
Energy transition and resilient supply chains.
Advanced manufacturing and next-gen mobility.
Semiconductors, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.
Biotech, health care innovation and the longevity economy.
Cross-border capital formation and the rise of the Texas Stock Exchange.
Cultural diplomacy in sports, food, entertainment and education.
The U.S.-Japan Council was founded by Japanese Americans and is considered a premier organization dedicated to strengthening the U.S.-Japan relations via people-to-people connections.
Lance Murray is a freelance contributor covering business for the Arlington Report.
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