Japanese pickleball is set to make its largest expansion yet into the international arena. The third PJ Pickleball Championships will take place from December 7-11 at Tokyo’s Ariake Tennis Forest Park, serving as Japan’s inaugural PPA Asia 125 sanctioned event.
The five day tournament will utilize 60 courts to accommodate an estimated 2,000 competitors across age brackets ranging from 18U to 60+, with all match results officially tracked through the DUPR rating system.
The tournament’s scale establishes it as one of the largest pickleball gatherings hosted in Japan. With a total prize and reward allocation exceeding ¥15 million, the event underscores the significant expansion of the country’s pickleball infrastructure throughout 2026. This financial valuation reflects the increasing commercial and structural investment in the region’s domestic sport landscape.
The first three days of the event will host the PPA Asia 125 competition, where winners earn 125 ranking points along with free entry into the next PPA Asia 500 tournament, giving Japanese players a genuine pathway into the higher tiers of Asian pro pickleball, right on home soil.
The tournament’s primary draw centers on a high-profile international player field. Top ranked Ben Johns is scheduled to partner with Japan’s Yuta Funemizu in the men’s doubles division. The pairing holds notable significance, as Funemizu is Japan’s inaugural Major League Pickleball athlete and the first Japanese player to secure a PPA Tour men’s doubles title following his victory at the PPA Asia 500 Sansan Tokyo Open earlier this year. Joining the field is Anna Bright, who will make her competitive debut in Japan, providing local spectators with a direct look at one of the sport’s highest-ranked international competitors.
The tournament’s corporate portfolio reflects substantial commercial interest. Title sponsors ZIPAIR Tokyo and Kenedix headline a partner roster that includes ZOZO, Burger King, Sansan, Mitsui Fudosan, JOOLA, Memolead, Aoyama Sports, DIADEM, JTB, and Toa Road. This corporate alignment spans aviation, real estate, e-commerce, food service, sporting goods, travel, and infrastructure. The diversity of these sectors indicates broad institutional investment rather than relying on niche endemic sports brands
As other regional markets look to build out their own pickleball scenes, Tokyo’s model this December could serve as an excellent example. It proves that when you mix top tier international stars with clear pathways for local players and solid commercial backing, you get a tournament with real staying power.