At the Heart of AI and Recruitment: Scientifically Advancing Talent Acquisition – Report on 'Talent Acquisition Conference 2026'

TalentX Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Takafumi Suzuki; Securities Code: 330A; hereinafter 'the Company') held the 'Talent Acquisition Conference 2026' on Thursday, July 2, 2026. This premier domestic event, dedicated to scientifically advancing AI-native recruitment, attracted around 600 corporate executives and hiring managers through both in-person and online participation, concluding another highly successful year following last year’s event.

About the 'Talent Acquisition Conference'

The 'Talent Acquisition Conference' is a conference hosted by TalentX to promote the concept and practical methodologies of 'Talent Acquisition (strategic acquisition of top talent)' within Japan’s recruitment market. After its inaugural event in 2025, which attracted 400 registrants, this marks the second edition in 2026.

Talent Acquisition (TA) refers to a strategic initiative that moves beyond short-term, localized hiring for immediate vacancies. Instead, it involves defining required talent by working backward from business and organizational strategies, strategically attracting candidates, nurturing long-term relationships, and consistently securing top talent.

However, advancing Talent Acquisition requires more sophisticated and extensive operations, such as strategic data accumulation and long-term candidate engagement. To address this, TalentX advocates the next-generation recruitment model: 'AI-Native Hiring.' By enabling AI to autonomously handle administrative tasks and data analysis, HR professionals are freed from repetitive work and can focus on core human-centric activities such as 'relationship building,' 'decision-making,' and 'recruitment strategy design.' This conference was organized as a platform to share real-world case studies from leading companies and insights from industry experts, aiming to realize Talent Acquisition through the fusion of technology and human expertise.

Event Overview

Event Name: Talent Acquisition Conference 2026

Date & Time: July 2, 2026 (Thu), 14:00–17:00

Format: In-person + live online streaming

Target Audience: Executives, HR leaders, and hiring managers from corporations and organizations

Registrants: Approximately 600

URL: https://mytalent.jp/taconference2026/

Organizer: TalentX Co., Ltd.

Event Highlights

The event featured five main sessions, facilitating multifaceted discussions ranging from the fundamentals of Talent Acquisition to practical case studies and the future of HR in the AI-native era. Archive videos of select sessions are available—please visit the links below.

Opening Session: 'Talent Acquisition in 2026: The Key to Japanese Companies’ Survival – Accelerating Recruitment Transformation through AI-Native Hiring'

Speaker: Takafumi Suzuki, President & CEO, TalentX

Content: Advocated the necessity of Talent Acquisition and AI-Native Hiring amid labor population decline and the transformative evolution of AI.

(Archive video: https://bit.ly/4aKunEW)

Lightning Talk ①: 'Delivering Authenticity: Building an Employer-Owned Media for Deeper, Accurate Understanding of Our Company'

Speakers: Reito Terashita, Assistant Manager, Human Capital Development Team, HR & General Affairs Department, Management Division, SKY PerfecTV! JSAT Corporation

Yusuke Yamamoto, Human Capital Development Team, HR & General Affairs Department, Management Division, SKY PerfecTV! JSAT Corporation

Content: Introduced the creation of an authentic employer-owned media platform and its branding impact.

Lightning Talk ②: 'Transforming Past Candidates into Assets: Sustainable Hiring through Talent Pool Recruitment'

Speaker: Sae Masuda, Specialist, Talent Acquisition Department, Human Resources & Labor Division, Hitachi, Ltd.

Content: Shared practical methods for building a talent pool of approximately 2,500 candidates, resulting in over 30 hires through a combination of system and human efforts.

Lightning Talk ③: 'Creating a Virtuous Cycle of Advocacy: Referral Hiring Engaging 15,000 Employees'

Speaker: Sosuke Takahashi, Recruitment Section, HR & General Affairs Department, Japanese HR & General Affairs Division, Human Capital Headquarters, Astemo Corporation

Content: Introduced initiatives that engaged large-scale organizations and achieved nearly a fivefold increase in referral hiring over three years.

(Archive: https://bit.ly/4y9t9gm)

Special Session: 'Global vs. Japanese-Style TA: Designing TA Organizations and the Future of Next-Gen HR Leaders in the AI-Native Era'

Speakers: Takafumi Suzuki, President & CEO, TalentX

Akito Sōyama, Senior Executive Officer & CHO, CyberAgent, Inc.

Takehiko Ono, Director, GLOBIS Capital Partners, Inc.

Content: A panel discussion on CyberAgent’s Talent Acquisition practices, barriers to TA implementation in Japanese companies, and the ideal HR model for the AI-native era.

(Archive: https://bit.ly/4pbWkeD)

Following the sessions, a networking event was held at the venue, allowing participants and speakers to exchange insights. An 'AI Experience Booth' was also set up, featuring live demonstrations of new features in the 'MyTalent Platform.' Attendees were frequently seen exchanging business cards and discussing shared challenges, reflecting strong engagement and enthusiasm for practical implementation.

Participant Survey Results

After the conference, a survey was conducted among attendees (191 valid responses). 94.2% responded that they were 'satisfied with the event,' indicating a very high level of satisfaction.

Regarding the question 'What challenges or concerns do you have in recruitment?', four items—'company-wide hiring (referrals),' 'employer branding,' 'AI and technology utilization,' and 'talent pooling'—were selected by approximately 50% of respondents, highlighting a shared industry challenge: moving away from external dependency and strengthening internal recruitment infrastructure.

Finally, in response to 'What actions would you like to start tomorrow after attending this event?', the top answer was 'building our own recruitment infrastructure,' followed by 'engaging the entire company,' 'utilizing AI,' and 'redesigning recruitment strategy.' This indicates a clear shift in participants’ mindset—from improving recruitment operations to implementing Talent Acquisition.

<Selected Participant Feedback>

'We gained numerous insights and practical ideas from the latest recruitment initiatives and case studies presented by major corporations, many of which we have not yet implemented in our own company.'

'We now understand what TA is and why it matters, which has strengthened our sense of purpose within our organization.'

'The case studies shared by other companies resonated with our current situation, helping us better visualize the challenges ahead and the steps we need to take.'

In Japan’s recruitment market, the perception of 'recruitment' is shifting from an operational function to a strategic one,