From July 1–4, 2026, the "PPA ASIA 500 Sansan TOKYO OPEN 2026 Produced by TBS" will be held at Arena Tachikawa Tachihi and Dome Tachikawa Tachihi in Tachikawa, Tokyo. It marks the PPA Asia Tour's first venture into Tokyo, and represents a full-scale entry into pickleball by a group of leading Japanese companies — TBS Holdings, Sansan (a major business card management company), and Mitsui Fudosan.
Event specs: 11 fully air-conditioned courts, an anticipated 1,000 entrants
The venue, Arena Tachikawa Tachihi, will install 11 fully air-conditioned courts. The pro program comprises five events: men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles, and mixed doubles. An anticipated 1,000 entrants can join in a format open to both pros and amateurs. Enhanced live streaming and AV production are also planned, putting TBS's content production capabilities to use.
Why are major Japanese companies entering pickleball now?
Reading into this lineup, each company has a clear strategic intent.
Sansan (title sponsor): It judged that its business mission of "creating connections" aligns with pickleball's "exchange that transcends generations and values." Following the 2025 Fukuoka event, this is its second consecutive year as title sponsor, accelerating B2B branding through sport.
TBS (organizer and producer): As a media company, its strategy is to lock up the IP of pickleball as sports content early. TBS Innovation Partners has also invested in Pickleball One, taking a position on both spreading the sport and holding content rights.
Mitsui Fudosan (business co-creation partner): A partnership with an eye on expansion into commercial and sports facilities. Mitsui Fudosan has also invested in Pickleball One, and the tie-up links to a plan to open a large dedicated indoor facility in 2027. It fits well with the real estate business of revitalizing commercial areas centered on sports facilities.
The PPA Asia Tour's expansion strategy: Hanoi → Tokyo → what's next?
The 2026 PPA Asia Tour follows April's Hanoi Cup (Vietnam) with Tokyo in July as its second stop. PPA's international rollout has so far targeted Singapore, Thailand, Japan, and Vietnam, staging tournaments in partnership with local sponsors in each country.
Tokyo's "500 points" is lower than Hanoi's "1,000," but it's still on the scale of a mid-level U.S. tournament. If top-ranked players compete, it will be the first chance to watch top-class play in Japan.
The Japanese pickleball market is changing: three trends signaled by corporate entry
- Maturing sponsorship: The era of "pickleball as a minor sport" is over, and it has become a market sponsored by first-rate companies such as Sansan, Mitsui Fudosan, Dentsu, and TBS
- Accelerating facility investment: Through the Mitsui Fudosan × Pickleball One tie-up, a large facility integrating real estate development and sport will debut in 2027
- Turning into a content business: With TBS focusing on content rights, pickleball matches are beginning to take shape as new content for sports media
This is the same trajectory as the rollout in the U.S. After the PPA was founded in 2021, sponsor companies entered one after another and the market expanded rapidly. Japan is now entering that phase two to three years later.
What you can do as a player right now
- Check your entry for the July Tokyo tournament early (the 1,000-person field may fill up quickly)
- For spectator ticket information, follow the official channels of organizers TBS and Sansan
- Get hints for leveling up your own play by watching the pros up close
For how the PPA Asia Tour works, seethe pickleball spectating guideFor the results of the 2026 Hanoi Cup, seethe breaking-news article.
FAQ
- Q. Can amateurs enter the Tokyo tournament?
- A. It has been announced as a format open to both pros and amateurs. Please await the official announcement for detailed categories and entry methods.
- Q. When do spectator tickets go on sale?
- A. Details had not been announced as of March 2026. Please check for announcements on the official TBS and Sansan websites.
- Q. Why is Mitsui Fudosan investing in pickleball?
- A. The investment is in the context of installing dedicated courts inside commercial facilities and of composite sports-and-real-estate development. Together with its investment in Pickleball One, it is advancing a large facility plan for 2027.
Source:Sansan official press release、Nihon Keizai Shimbun、Pickleball One PRTimes
