2026
30 Years of Pokémon TCG & Japan Expo
In 2026, Mitsuhiro Arita reached thirty years of continuous involvement with the Pokémon Trading Card Game, from its prototype stage to a career encompassing more than 600 card entries across original cards, reprints, variants and related releases. He also continued an international career combining professional illustration, original artwork, live drawing and education, highlighted by his return to Japan Expo Paris for its 25th anniversary edition.
Career Archive
Timeline Events
Arita marked thirty years of continuous work on the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the project that launched his professional illustration career in 1996.
His official career archive documents more than 600 Pokémon TCG card entries across original illustrations, reprints, variants and related releases.
The anniversary confirmed Pokémon as the longest continuous collaboration of Arita's career while his work continued to expand into many other games, books, films and comic projects.
Arita began his 2026 international event schedule with Hawaii Pop Con in Honolulu on January 10–11.
He subsequently appeared at UmbriaCon in Italy from January 16–18.
On January 24–25, Arita appeared at MegaCon Live London in the United Kingdom.
Arita continued participating in educational and cultural activities in Japan during 2026.
On February 15, he participated in the 13th Gunma Manga & Anime Festa awards ceremony.
On May 17, Arita appeared at Nippon Designers School Kyushu in Fukuoka for an illustration-making lecture aimed at high-school students interested in creative careers.
Arita returned to France for Japan Expo Paris 2026, held from July 9–12 at Paris-Nord Villepinte.
His Japan Expo appearance formed part of the convention's 25th anniversary edition.
Arita maintained his own dedicated booth throughout the four-day festival.
The booth offered scheduled opportunities for visitors to meet Arita and obtain products and EVENT ART CARDS.
Arita participated in an exclusive Meet & Greet session on each of the four days of Japan Expo.
The Meet & Greet sessions were organized for small groups of approximately fifteen participants and included a Q&A and a LIMITED EVENT ART CARD.
On July 9, Arita performed a public live drawing on the Kuri Stage at Japan Expo.
The live drawing took place from 12:15 to 13:00 and represented his principal stage appearance during the convention.
Arita's 2026 activities continued to combine commercial illustration with original art, public demonstrations, education and international cultural events.