CareTex is Japan’s only trade fair dedicated to care textiles, apparel and related technologies for the rapidly ageing society. Held every two years inside Tokyo’s landmark textile cluster, the three-day show gathers fabric mills, sewing plants, designers, trading houses, universities and public agencies that are creating the next generation of garments, bedding and interiors for people who need assistance, rehabilitation or long-term care. The 2024 edition, staged from 6–8 November at Tokyo Big Sight, welcomed 11,300 visitors, 210 exhibitors and 70 concurrent seminars, cementing its role as the sector’s flagship marketplace and knowledge hub. The 2026 fair is already scheduled for 4–6 November at the same venue.

The exhibition is divided into clearly-marked zones: high-performance fibres that inhibit bacterial growth or control temperature; pressure-care and decubitus-prevention mattresses; anti-strip and wander-prevention garments for dementia care; easy-wear designs with magnetic or side-fastening systems; washable footwear and protective underwear; and robotic or sensor-embedded textiles that monitor posture, heart rate or incontinence. Running parallel is the “Care-Tech Village” corner where start-ups demonstrate AI-driven sizing apps, 3D body-scanning kiosks and automated cutting tables that shorten lead-times for custom adaptive clothing.

A two-track conference programme runs throughout, anchored by the opening plenary on national nursing-insurance reforms and market forecasts from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Morning sessions focus on technical standards—flame-resistance, skin-safety tests, washing durability—while afternoon panels explore user-centred design, inclusive fashion and export strategies. Notable 2024 speakers included Kazuhide Shirase, Director of the National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities, who unveiled a new certification for care garments; Yukiko Tsukamoto, Professor of Fashion Engineering at Shinshu University, on knitting conductive yarns for vital-sign sensing; and Naoko Kuroda, Head Designer at Uniqlo’s Assist-wear line, discussing colour psychology for dementia-friendly wardrobes. Case-study theatres give floor space to care-home managers, occupational therapists and family carers who present cost-benefit analyses and live fitting demonstrations.

The audience is highly specialised: textile manufacturers, welfare equipment distributors, nursing-home chains, hospitals, local authorities, ins