This weekend, over 100,000 fans from more than 125 countries are gathering for Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025. The sold-out, three-day event is a unique opportunity for fans to convene around the nearly 50-year-old iconic and beloved franchise.
Fans will have access to first-hand panels with creative talent, opportunities to meet the stars of their favorite Star Wars movies and shows — such as Diego Luna (Cassian Andor), Rosario Dawson (Ahsoka Tano), Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker), and many others — and be able to immerse themselves in the galaxy far, far away.
Not to mention, they’ll be able to get all the latest Star Wars news and updates, such as the release date of Star Wars: Starfighter and the Season 2 trailer for Light & Magic.
Star Wars Celebration has taken place all over the world since its beginnings in 1999. But, for the second time, it’s landing in Japan, a nation that has “a very special symbiotic relationship” with the Star Wars franchise, according to Carol Choi, EVP, APAC Integrated Marketing & Japan Managing Director at Disney.
“Japan’s rich storytelling, history, art, and popular culture have influenced Star Wars for nearly 50 years, and Star Wars has made its own mark in Japanese storytelling,” Choi said.
Central to the Saga
Japanese popular culture, history, and cinema had a deep influence on George Lucas as he embarked on creating Star Wars. Lucas famously drew from samurai films like Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress to influence a narrative structure and character archetypes for Star Wars. And of course, Darth Vader’s imposing helmet found part of its origin in historic samurai armor.
“Elements like the Jedi, modeled after samurai, and the spiritual aspects of the Force, influenced by Bushido, highlight the profound impact of Japanese culture on the series,” Choi explained. “There is so much love and respect amongst Lucasfilm executives and creators towards Japanese creators, films, anime, and manga, as we will undoubtedly experience at the Celebration this year.”
Lucas Seastrom, Historian at Lucasfilm, noted that this influence continues to this day, “with series like Star Wars: The Clone Wars evoking elements of the Godzilla films or The Mandalorian taking inspiration from Japanese manga.”
Not only has Japan influenced Star Wars, but the success of Star Wars has created a feedback loop to Japanese storytelling
“The success and popularity of Star Wars on both sides of the Pacific helped bring Japanese anime to American audiences, and likewise inspired the growth of science-fantasy anime stories in Japan itself,” Seastrom said. “With the production of Star Wars: Visions in recent years, this has come full circle, with Japanese filmmakers bringing their distinct points of view to create Star Wars stories directly in the anime medium.”
And it isn’t just a connection between the U.S. and Japan, but the whole world, too.
“Star Wars has drawn deep inspiration from Japan and through its storytelling and visual design, introduced aspects of Japanese culture to global audiences across generations,” Choi said.
A Gateway to APAC
“Star Wars Celebration continues to grow year over year. It’s a testament to not only the incredible generational appeal of the saga but also to the lifelong memories that are created at an event like this,” Chris Argyropoulos, VP, Franchise Assets & Publicity, Lucasfilm, said.
This event is a tangible way that fans across APAC can connect with the brand that they love. For instance, many attendees to this year’s Celebration are flying in from Australia and New Zealand, as well as from Southeast Asia.
And fans in the APAC region have that connection to Star Wars due to a variety of touch points with the Star Wars franchise. The films and television series are, of course, global. And series like Star Wars: Visions — a special Disney+ anthology series that was created in collaboration with local Japanese anime studios, have, according to Choi, “really resonated with Japanese and Asian viewers.”
On top of that, Disney Consumer Products collaborates with global and local partners to create a diverse portfolio of products that blend the creative excellence of Japanese manufacturing with the iconic storytelling of Star Wars, so fans can carry the story with them wherever they go.
A Galaxy of Celebration
While there’s always so much Star Wars to celebrate, this year’s Star Wars Celebration will hold space for tons of exciting moments in the coming weeks.
There will be panels on the highly anticipated second season of Andor on April 22; the 20th anniversary of Revenge of the Sith, which is returning to movie theaters in a limited engagement on April 25; a look at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), the groundbreaking visual effects house that is the subject of a second season of the series Light & Magic, and which celebrates its 50th anniversary in May.
There’s all that and so much more at Star Wars Celebration, which will keep fans interested and in the know as the latest Star Wars projects — like next year’s The Mandalorian and Grogu — come to a galaxy not so far away.
“For Lucasfilm, it’s important that we give fans from all over the world the opportunity to participate in an event like Star Wars Celebration to keep them engaged and get them excited about what the next 50 years will bring,” Argyropoulos said.