NAGOYA - IG Arena, the venue for sumo's ongoing grand tournament in Nagoya, has attracted around 1 million visitors since its opening a year ago, with its operator hopeful of doubling the annual figure in the future.
Located within Meijo Park featuring Nagoya Castle in the center of the major central Japan city, it is one of the biggest indoor facilities in Japan and will host basketball and judo competitions during the Asian Games starting in September.
With a maximum capacity of 17,000, IG Arena began operations with the 15-day Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament in last July.
Professional basketball club Nagoya Diamond Dolphins, which uses the facility as its home arena, led the B.League with an average of 10,281 visitors per game in the 2025-2026 season.
Among other events, Japanese boxing star Naoya Inoue successfully defended his undisputed super bantamweight world championship against Murodjon Akhmadaliev of Uzbekistan at the venue in September.
In the entertainment field, U.S. pop star Janet Jackson last month held a concert at the venue, whose exterior was designed by renowned architect Kengo Kuma.
The naming rights to the arena were acquired by the London-headquartered financial services provider IG Group and the venue has brought a huge economic boost to the surrounding area.
One-third of the 1 million visitors came from outside the Tokai region, centering on Nagoya, leading to a 124 percent increase in economic activity from a year earlier, its operator said.
Aichi International Arena Co. has set a goal of reaching 2 million visitors per year with 200 events annually within 30 years.
Hisato Hiroshi, president of the operating company, said it plans to host 120 events in the second year, expressing hopes for attracting performances by world-class artists and world championship-level sporting events.
