| Event | Pokémon Japan Championships 2026 (PJCS2026) Preliminaries (ポケモンジャパンチャンピオンシップス2026 予選) |
|---|---|
| Location | Online |
| Date | 10 May 2025 |
| Capacity | 640 MA + 640 SR + 640 JR |
| Videogame | Pokémon Champions |
| Season | 2026 Season – VGC Regulation Set M-A |
| Format | In-game ladder competition |
| Organizer | The Pokémon Company (TPC) |
Table of Contents
Participating players
The tournament is open only in the accounts that qualified through the following criteria, and only available if the online competition settings are configured to Japan:
- Top 640 among players in Japan in the Global Challenge
Sign-up instructions
Sign-ups for the event are done through your own Pokémon Champions game, starting on 6 May at 11:00 JST (02:00 UTC). To register, enter Battle → Online competitions.
You will need to register and lock a team at the time of registration.
Sign-ups close on 9 May at 23:59 JST (14:59 UTC).
Platform and schedule
The tournament is held online, in your Pokémon Champions game, in Battle → Online competitions.
The tournament starts on 10 May at 11:00 JST (02:00 UTC). You are able to play up to TBD battles until 17:00 JST (08:00 UTC).
You need to complete at least TBD battles to be eligible for prizes.
Prizes
This event is an official Online Competition and is part of the 2026 official circuit in Japan.
As a participation prize, any player that finishes at least 10 battles will receive TBD.
The highest-placed players earn invites to the 2026 Japan Championships (JCS).
| Placement | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1st to 128th | Invite to the 2026 Japan Championships (JCS) |
Overview
The 2026 Japan Championships (PJCS) Qualifier is an official online competition featuring double battles, and is region-locked. It is the 2nd online competition in Pokémon Champions for players in Japan.
Online Competitions have been featured in the official circuits for some years now. Region-locked online competitions have been available since Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, and they have acted as qualifiers to the National Championships in South East Asia or even as National Championships themselves.
Previous editions of the Japan National Championships have featured different formats and qualifying systems, but in the last few years qualification has been through in-game ladder qualifiers to JCS, a live event. The 2026 edition’s qualifier continues the format of 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025 to be played as an in-game ladder competition itself before JCS.
The ruleset is VGC Regulation Set M-A.
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.
