All Japan Poker Championship to expand operations to other Asian countries

As part of this year’s Asian circuit series, the All Japan Poker Championship (AJPC) recently announced that it plans to hold tournaments in Taiwan and Macau. Since 2007 the Osaka-based AJPC has been organizing poker tournaments, with most of them held in Japan, including the annual AJPC Championship, which, according to the organization is the “largest poker tournament” in Japan. However, the recent announcement by the AJPC that this year it will begin to host tournaments in places such as Macau, South Korea, Taiwan and Incheon, as part of the ongoing Asian Circuit Series, will likely heighten the AJPC’s status among Asian tours. To commemorate what was its first international event, the AJPC organized poker event in December in Incheon, Korea at Paradise City near South Korea’s Incheon International Airport. The five-day event reportedly attracted 784 players for tournaments held from Dec. 14 through Dec. 18. According to the announcement, the AJPC plans to return to Incheon this year. During the press release, CEO of the AJPC, Yasuhiro Sasaki reportedly said, “2018 will see the AJPC look to grow our circuits outside of Japan. This is in response to our player’s desire to enjoy tournaments overseas, with a focus on Incheon, Taiwan, Macau, and potentially other destinations in Southeast Asia. We look forward to working closely with local partners to bring a premium overseas experience to Japanese players, while welcoming local players from each location as well.” GGRAsia reports that no further details were included in the press release nor did it include potential partners for the poker events to be held in Macau, Taiwan and Incheon.