Letter of Invitation to Participate in Highly-functional Material Week Japan 2026

Exhibition Name：Highly-functional Material Week

Exhibition Dates：September 30 – October 2, 2026

Venue：Makuhari Messe, Chiba, Tokyo, Japan

Concurrent Exhibitions:Photonix Japan (Laser & Optics Show), Finetech Japan (Flat Panel Manufacturing Show)

Exhibition Overview

Hosted by Reed Exhibitions, Highly-functional Material Week Japan ranks among the world’s largest trade shows dedicated to high-performance materials, representing the cutting-edge development level of the global materials industry. It showcases the latest products, manufacturing technologies and R&D trends for high-performance materials, serving as the industry’s global barometer and weather vane.

Composed of eight specialized sub-shows, the exhibition covers advanced films, plastics, metals, ceramics, adhesives, coatings & surface finishing, sustainable materials & technologies, and recycling solutions. Exhibitors can network with a large pool of professional buyers across diverse industrial segments in a single venue.

Product Exhibition Scope

1. PLASTIC JAPAN – High-performance Plastics Show

PLASTIC JAPAN gathers full-chain products and technologies covering plastic raw materials, additives, molding & processing machinery, and plastic recycling innovations. It exhibits state-of-the-art advanced plastic materials, plastic manufacturing equipment and revolutionary plastic recycling technologies.

2. METAL JAPAN – High-performance Metals Show

METAL JAPAN brings together leading metal manufacturers and suppliers, displaying materials and processing technologies for non-ferrous metals (aluminum, copper, titanium, magnesium, etc.), steel and other metallic materials.

3. CERAMIC JAPAN – High-performance Ceramics Show

Covers fine ceramics (structural materials, functional materials, biomaterials, refractory materials), ceramic raw materials (oxides, phosphors, nitrides, carbides), ceramic manufacturing and precision processing technologies.

4. Adhesion & Bonding Expo – Adhesive & Bonding Technology Show

Displays high-end adhesives and advanced bonding technologies for automotive, electronics, construction and other industrial sectors.

5. Paint & Coating JAPAN – High-performance Coatings Show

Showcases cutting-edge coatings and surface finishing technologies for automotive, electronics and construction industries, including surface treatment solutions, coating agents and coating manufacturing equipment.

6. Film Tech Japan – High-performance Functional Film Show

Functional films are widely applied in electrical machinery, automotive, construction, pharmaceutical and food packaging sectors. This show exhibits functional film products, film forming machines, as well as inspection, measurement and analytical testing equipment.

7. Sustainable Materials Expo

Focuses on eco-friendly materials including biodegradable resins and cellulose derivatives. It also features plant-based raw materials, recycled materials, circular economy resource solutions and marine plastic waste recovery technologies.

8. Green Process Japan – Decarbonization for Material Plants

A specialized exhibition targeting decarbonization for material manufacturing industries including steel, chemical, ceramics, cement, paper and non-ferrous metal production. It presents comprehensive decarbonization technologies covering fuel optimization, production process upgrades and full-factory low-carbon operation systems.

Market Analysis

As major economies and close neighbors, China and Japan are critical trading partners for each other. Bilateral trade volume has surged 300 times since the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries, reaching USD 357 billion in 2025.

Currently, China is Japan’s largest trading partner, top source of imports and second-largest export destination. Meanwhile, Japan holds a vital position in China’s foreign trade, ranking as China’s second-largest trading partner, second-largest export market and third-largest import source.

Under the framework of RCEP, China (world’s 2nd largest economy) and Japan (world’s 3rd largest economy) jointly account for three-quarters of the total GDP of all RCEP member states. The two countries boast highly complementary advantageous industries and serve as each other’s top two trading partners, laying a solid foundation and enormous potential for economic and trade cooperation. The new China-Japan free trade relationship established under RCEP delivers strong impetus for higher-standard bilateral opening-up and collaboration. Driven by tariff reduction trade creation effects, China has entered a critical strategic window to deepen trade ties with Japan.

Japan’s materials industry holds a globally influential position. From traditional metallic materials to advanced polymer and semiconductor materials, as well as cutting-edge nanomaterials and biomaterials, Japan possesses robust R&D capacity and mass production strength. Japanese material enterprises maintain a leading edge in technological innovation and industrialized commercialization. Many operate world-class R&D centers and production lines that rapidly translate laboratory research into market-ready products to meet industrial demand. In addition, Japanese material suppliers maintain close collaboration with upstream and downstream industrial chains, forming a complete industrial ecosystem.

Tokyo, the exhibition host city, serves as Japan’s political, economic and cultural hub, as well as the nation’s land, sea and air transportation nexus. Its sprawling metropolitan area forms one of the world’s largest mega-urban agglomerations. Together with Yokohama to the south and Chiba to the east, Tokyo constitutes the well-known Keihin Industrial Zone, featuring core industries including steel manufacturing, shipbuilding, machinery production, chemical engineering, electronics, leather goods, electrical equipment, textiles, printing & publishing and precision instruments.