ISM is moving the debut of its trade fair in Tokyo, Japan to April 2023.

Organizers say ISM Japan has received interest from the industry since they announced the event, and plans were on track to deliver one of the region’s first dedicated sweets and snacks trade fairs.

However, due to the continuing uncertainties brought by the spread of the COVID-19 variant omicron, Japan's borders have been closed to all new foreign arrivals since November 2021, making it difficult for ISM Japan’s international visitors, exhibitors, and partners to attend. 

After in-depth assessment on the situation in Japan and around the world, and close consultations with key stakeholders and partners, Koelnmesse decided to shift its inaugural edition to April 12-14, 2023 at Tokyo Big Sight in Tokyo, Japan.

“As much as we would have loved to bring the event to life this April, we felt it was important to give the participants the full experience befitting for an inaugural event,” said Makoto Takagi, managing director of Koelnmesse Co., Ltd. “Moreover, the ease of participation for our international exhibitors is paramount to make it a successful event. We are currently seeing business networking at its finest during the ongoing ISM Cologne. We are looking forward to bringing this network and spirit to Japan next year. With the recovery of the global economy and resumption to a new-normal, the team is committed to working on building a strong first edition of ISM Japan 2023 and offering exhibitors an attractive business platform.”