Nikkei BP (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Tetsuya Iguchi) will hold its large-scale event "Nikkei Cross Trend FORUM 2026" from July 28 (Tue) to 30 (Thu), 2026. Live sessions will be held on July 28 (Tue) and 29 (Wed), 2026, with online sessions on July 30 (Thu). All sessions are free of charge, with approximately 30 diverse lectures planned. Amidst the increasing business utilization of generative AI and AI agents, the forum will provide the latest trends in digital innovation and hints for solving challenges at the forefront of business. Following the start of advance applications for some sessions on June 22, 2026, applications are now open for an additional 12 live sessions and 2 online sessions, bringing the total number of bookable sessions to 19. The second highlight is the opening lecture on July 28 (Tue), "Scientific Marketing from Latest Research: Brand Growth Strategies in the AI Era." Professor Byron Sharp from the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science at the University of South Australia, author of "How Brands Grow: 10 Guiding Principles for Consumers and Businesses" (published by Asahi Shimbun Publications), will visit Japan for the Nikkei Cross Trend FORUM. He will explain the universal "laws of brand growth" that are essential to understand in this era of accelerating AI adoption. The MC will be Ren Serizawa, author of "Strategy Play" and the "Un-Customer" series, and chief researcher at the Japan Evidence-Based Marketing Research Organization (EBMI). This opening lecture will be a full hour. Another featured lecture will be by Yuki Kaji, Representative Director, President & CEO of FRACTAL Inc., who went independent in April 2026 and serves as the general producer for the voice AI business "Soyogi Fractal" alongside his voice acting career. The lecture is titled "Voice Actor & CEO Yuki Kaji: The Potential of New IP Businesses Created with Voice AI." Yuki Kaji, a top runner in the voice acting industry known for roles such as