Busan is good

Busan Metropolitan City Recruits Participating Companies for the “Tokyo International Gift Show” to Target Japan’s Largest Consumer Goods Market

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Busan Metropolitan City, under Acting Mayor Kim Kyung-duk, and the Busan Economic Promotion Agency, headed by President Song Bok-cheol, announced that they are recruiting eight promising local companies to participate in the “2026 Tokyo International Gift Show” by May 21 in order to help local consumer goods SMEs expand into the Japanese market and discover new buyers.

The Tokyo International Gift Show, first launched in 1976, is Japan’s largest B2B consumer goods trade exhibition and will be held for three days starting September 2 at Tokyo Big Sight in Tokyo, Japan.

The exhibition is a comprehensive showcase covering a wide range of consumer goods including household items, food products, and cosmetics, and is expected to become a major business platform attracting large-scale buyers from all over Japan.

Eligible applicants are SMEs based in Busan with annual export sales of USD 30 million or less that manufacture or handle exhibition items such as household goods, food products, and cosmetics.

Busan Metropolitan City plans to conduct evaluations based on its “Criteria for Selecting Companies Participating in Overseas Exhibitions” and ultimately select eight competitive companies.

Companies wishing to participate may apply online through the Busan Export Platform at trade.bepa.kr by May 21.

In the Japanese market, local consumption of K-beauty and K-food products has continued to grow alongside the spread of Korean culture. In addition, rising numbers of single-person households and the aging population have increased demand for small-package products, daily convenience goods, and health-related products.

In response to these market trends, Busan Metropolitan City plans to intensively support local companies with strong competitiveness and products suited to local Japanese demand in entering the Japanese market.

In particular, the city intends to help local companies secure new customer segments and achieve tangible export results through customized company selection and local marketing support.

For this exhibition, Busan Metropolitan City will establish a “Busan Pavilion” and provide the eight selected companies with dedicated booths within the pavilion, product display opportunities, and support covering 50% of round-trip airfare for exhibition participants, subject to budget availability.

Starting this year, support for company booth expenses will also be expanded from the previous KRW 7 million to up to KRW 9.5 million in order to strengthen assistance for participating companies.

Meanwhile, at last year’s similar exhibition, LIFESTYLE Week TOKYO, two Busan companies received awards at the “Discover Korea Awards.”

Held in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of Korea-Japan diplomatic normalization, the Discover Korea Awards recognized two local companies—Chakan Sesang for seals and S-Lock for airtight containers—among five award categories, demonstrating the competitiveness of Busan’s consumer goods products.

Participating companies also achieved notable results, recording average contract negotiations worth approximately USD 660,000 per company.

Participant satisfaction also reached 88 points out of 100, demonstrating that the exhibition served as an effective platform for helping local SMEs enter the Japanese market and expand their sales channels.

Kim Bong-cheol, Assistant Mayor of Digital Economy Office, stated, “Japan is an important market with strong export potential for local companies due to its geographical proximity and the growing popularity of Korean culture. Building on the competitiveness of Busan consumer goods products confirmed in the local market last year, we will actively support local SMEs so they can establish a stable presence in the Japanese market and grow into globally competitive companies.”