| Event | Pokémon Japan Championships 2026 (PJCS2026) (ポケモンジャパンチャンピオンシップス2026) |
|---|---|
| Location |  Yokohama, Japan |
| Date | 6–7 June 2026 |
| Capacity | 128 qualified players (MA) + 128 SR + 128 JR |
| Videogame | Pokémon Champions |
| Season | 2026 Season – Regulation Set M-A |
| Format | Bo1 Swiss rounds + Bo3 single-elimination top 64 Closed team lists up to top 16 Open team lists from top 8 onwards |
| Organizer | The Pokémon Company (TPC) |
Check the organizer’s website here for further info!
Table of Contents
Participating players
The 2026 Japan Championships is open only to the players that qualified through the following criteria:
- Top 128 players in the Japan Championships Qualifier
This tournament is also invite-only: players needed to qualify to it by placing top 640 amongst the players in Japan in the Global Challenge.
Venue and schedule
The tournament is held in Exhibition Halls A, B, C and D of the following location:
PACIFICO Yokohama
パシフィコ横浜
1-chōme-1-1 Minatomirai, Nishi Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 220-0012
〒220-0012 神奈川県横浜市西区みなとみらい１丁目１−１
Players must be in the venue by 6 June at 9:00 JST (00:00 UTC) for the players meeting.
Players still on the run in Day 2 must be in the venue by 7 June at 8:30 JST (21 June at 23:30 UTC) for Junior players, and at 9:00 JST (00:00 UTC) for Senior and Masters players.
The tournament structure is as follows. Players play up to 7 best-of-1 Swiss rounds with closed team lists. Then, the 64 best players advance to a best-of-3 single-elimination bracket. There will be open team lists starting on top 8.
Prizes
This event is an official tournament and is part of the 2026 official circuit in Japan.
Qualified players play for invites to the 2026 World Championships, with the highest-placed players earning Travel Awards.
| Placement | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1st to 4th | Invite to the 2026 World Championships + Travel Award |
| 5th to 64th | Invite to the 2026 World Championships |
Overview
The Pokémon Japan Championships, also known as JCS or PJCS, is the most important VGC competition for players in Japan, where TPC is responsible for the circuit, and is the only tournament through which players in Japan can earn invites to the World Championships.
It is the 16th edition of the Japan National Championships since its inception in 2009, and the 10th edition under the “Pokémon Japan Championships” name in use since 2016. It has been celebrated every year except in 2011 (due to the Fukushima disaster) and 2020 (due to the COVID-19 pandemics). See the previous editions:
- 2009, won by Takahiro Akai
- 2010, won by Ryo Tajiri
- 2012, won by Satoru Masukata
- 2013, won by Ryosuke Kosuge, eventual 2013 Worlds finalist
- 2014, won by Yosuke Isagi, eventual 2015 Worlds semifinalist
- 2015, won by Shoma Honami, eventual 2015 World Champion
- 2016, won by Hideto Kotake
- 2017, won by Ryota Otsubo, eventual 2017 World Champion
- 2018, won by Hirofumi Kimura, eventual 2019 Worlds finalist
- 2019, won by Hirofumi Kimura for the 2nd time
- 2021, won by Kohei Fujita
- 2022, won by Kentaro Matsumoto
- 2023, won by Kaito Arii
- 2024, won by Hyuma Hara
- 2025, won by Yuma Kinugawa, eventual 2026 LAIC Champion
Previous editions of the JCS have featured different formats and qualifying systems. The 2026 edition goes back to a system of best-of-1 Swiss rounds + best-of-3 single-elimination top cut, last used in 2022. Qualification is kept through two phases of in-game ladder qualifiers, similar to the last few years.
The ruleset is Regulation Set M-A, with closed team lists up until Top 8, and open team lists from Top 8 onwards.
A little bit of history
Japan has been a part of the official TPC circuit since its inception. It has hosted multiple major events, including old-era Regionals and National Championships, and is particularly successful in the online competitions. As the most successful country in VGC, Japan’s greatest trophies have been brought home by 5 World Champions (Kazuyuki Tsuji in 2009, Shoma Honami in 2015, Ryota Otsubo in 2017, Naoto Mizobuchi in 2019, and Shohei Kimura in 2023), as well as the 2008 VGS Champion (Izuru Yoshimura) and other 10 in the Senior and Junior divisions throughout the years.
The most recent tournament held in Japan was the 2025 Japan Championships (JCS), played in Yokohama in Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet with the VGC Regulation Set I in June 2025. The finals saw 2025 NAIC quarterfinalist Yuma Kinugawa defeat 2023 World Champion Shohei Kimura to win his first major title! In the following months, Yuma would go on to also win LAIC.
American James Evans, the 2018 Senior Division World Champion, defeated Brazilian Gabriel Agati in the NAIC finals.
