CHIBA, Japan -- Japan's biggest motor show, which kicked off on Tuesday, has brought the domestic auto industry's multi-pathway approaches into sharper focus as other international exhibitions in Paris, Beijing and Shanghai become the competitive frontline for Chinese electric vehicle makers.

The Japan Mobility Show Bizweek 2026 welcomed visitors at the Makuhari Messe convention and exhibition hall in Chiba prefecture, just east of Tokyo. The event runs through Friday.

This year's gathering, which is co-hosted with the Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies (CEATEC), does not feature elaborate presentations by automakers for new models and concept cars, as it shifts to a biennial format for its major consumer-facing exhibitions. Those will return next year.

The event was formerly known as the Tokyo Motor Show, but was renamed in 2023. No foreign carmakers are participating this year since the focus is on networking and practical business discussions.

Koji Sato, chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) and vice chair of Toyota Motor, said during a Tuesday morning session, "The increasing diversification of energy sources is precisely what is causing the diversification of mobility ... in a sense, the keyword 'multi-pathway' means responding to the diversity of energy with the diversity of mobility." Battery-powered electric vehicles are conspicuously scarce at the event in Chiba, reflecting the Japanese automotive industry's continued emphasis on a "multi-pathway" philosophy that promotes a range of technologies rather than relying exclusively on electric batteries.

At a joint exhibition organized by JAMA, the country's main automotive industry body, Japanese carmakers showcased an array of alternative powertrain technologies.

Suzuki Motor displayed its India-focused Victoris SUV, which can run on compressed natural gas or compressed biomethane. Mitsubishi Motors showcased its plug-in hybrid Outlander, while Toyota Motor-owned Daihatsu Motor, a major producer of kei minicars, unveiled its first ammonia-hydrogen co-combustion engine concept.

Suzuki Motor displays its India-focused Victoris SUV, which can run on either compressed natural gas or compressed biomethane.

Ammonia is easier to store and transport than hydrogen, but less easy to burn as fuel. By adding a small percentage of hydrogen to ammonia gas, the resulting mix could be used in combustion engine cars as an alternative to gasoline, the company said.

One Daihatsu employee explained that "gasoline is such an efficient fuel. We need to be prepared for a moment when we are not allowed to produce CO2 emissions from cars."

He added that there is a "risk" of relying on battery EVs, echoing the position of its parent company Toyota.

Battery electric technology, meanwhile, had a limited presence at the JAMA exhibition, apart from a handful of autonomous electric buses and wireless charging systems. The contrast is particularly striking with the Paris Motor Show, also being held this week, where roughly 20 Chinese carmakers, including BYD, Chery and Geely and others showed off its latest electric vehicles. Chinese makers account for about a third of the participating automotive brands, according to Reuters.

As European carmakers are also using the Paris event to showcase their latest electric models and reaffirm their commitment to the technology, the Paris show has become battlegrounds for established manufacturers and Chinese challengers.

Francois Provost, chief executive of Renault Group, said on Monday that the company was going "full speed on electrification from full hybrid to full electric," amid the changing business environment as "new competitors are re-writing industry play book." Two-thirds of its passenger cars sold in Europe are already electrified, the French company said.

The diverging approaches have prompted some industry observers to question whether the Japanese show is pointing in different technological directions just as competition from Chinese carmakers intensifies across global markets.

"The shift toward EVs is inevitable ... what Japanese makers are showing [in the Japan Mobility Show Bizweek] ... does not match the business trends of the global market," said Sanshiro Fukao of the Itochu Research Institute, a Tokyo-based think-tank.

The analyst pointed to the rare return of companies like Tesla and Honda Motor to the Paris Motor Show after being relatively absent in recent years as a sign of the event's international appeal, while the Japan Mobility Show remained predominantly domestic in terms of both participants and messaging. "It symbolises the state of the Japanese automakers," Fukao added. That, however, does not mean Japanese carmakers are retreating from the EV market.

Toyota has made inroads into China's fiercely competitive market with models including the bZ3X, developed and produced with local partners, illustrating how Japanese manufacturers are adapting their strategies to compete with Chinese rivals.

The bZ3X has performed relatively well in China, selling around 10,000 vehicles a month, broadly in line with other popular models. However, it still trails leaders such as Tesla's Model Y, which sold around 55,000 vehicles in August, according to Shanghai-based automotive data provider Gasgoo.

"Japanese automakers are tackling the Chinese problem behind the scenes, but that is not showing in the Japan Mobility Show," Fukao said.