Best Advertising Agencies in Tokyo (2026)

Introduction

Tokyo’s advertising market is led by Dentsu and Hakuhodo, which work as both creative and media houses, and the 9 agencies below cover those two groups, their affiliates and several international network offices. Each was chosen for recent work, 2025 and 2026 recognition, and its scale in the market.

Several of these businesses changed shape over the past two years. Campaign reported that Hakuhodo and Hakuhodo DY Media Partners would merge by April 2025, uniting creative and media operations. Dentsu ended its plan to sell its international business in February 2026. Omnicom’s acquisition of IPG, completed at the end of 2025, put McCann Japan in the same holding company as TBWA, Hakuhodo’s partner in TBWA\HAKUHODO. In October 2026, ADK signed a three-year agreement with Stagwell.

Every agency here has an active Tokyo office in 2026. The list runs in no fixed order of merit, since the right choice depends on your brief, budget and how you like to work.

The best advertising agencies in Tokyo

1. Dentsu

Dentsu Group · Shiodome (Minato) · dentsu.co.jp

Dentsu Inc. was established in 1901, and its parent Dentsu Group keeps its global headquarters in Higashi-Shimbashi. The group reports about 140 companies in Japan and net revenue of about 1.1 trillion yen for 2025, and it says Ad Age ranks it sixth in the world. It took 15 Lions at Cannes in 2026 across its markets, including 4 Gold.

Its Japanese work at Cannes included NIKKA WHISKY’s “dear difference”, which won Gold and Bronze in Industry Craft and Silver in Design. The group posted a record annual loss for 2025 and changed its management in early 2026, so ask how those changes affect your account team.

2. Hakuhodo

Hakuhodo DY Holdings · Akasaka · hakuhodo-global.com

Hakuhodo was established in 1895 and is the core agency of Hakuhodo DY Holdings, with its head office in Akasaka Biz Tower and 4,666 employees as of April 2026. The group won 6 Lions at Cannes in 2026, Grand Prix of the Year and 18 awards at MAD STARS, and 5 Gold at the London International Awards.

“CRAFTMAN, SHIPS” for the fashion retailer SHIPS took 2 Silver Lions at Cannes. Hakuhodo has also moved further into data and commerce services with Hakuhodo DY ONE, launching Data Enrichment for Product Insight in October 2026 and Agentic Commerce ONE in July.

3. TBWA\HAKUHODO

Joint venture of Hakuhodo and TBWA (Omnicom) · Shibaura · tbwahakuhodo.co.jp

TBWA\HAKUHODO was founded in 2006 and marked its 20th anniversary this year. Campaign named it Japan Creative Agency of the Year (Gold) for 2025, and its in-house content lab DISCO took Gold as Japan/Korea Production Company of the Year. At the 2026 ACC Tokyo Creativity Awards it won 15 awards, including 3 Grand Prix.

Current partners include adidas, Häagen-Dazs, McDonald’s Japan, Nissan, P&G Japan and UNIQLO. Recent work includes “ELGRAND IS BACK” for Nissan in July 2026 and “KIRA” for adidas, an animated music video for Ado’s song, in April 2026.

4. ADK

ADK Holdings · Toranomon · adk.jp

ADK is organised under ADK Holdings as three operating companies: ADK Marketing Solutions, ADK Creative One and ADK Emotions. Its head office is in Toranomon Hills Mori Tower. KRAFTON took a stake through a strategic partnership in June 2025.

AD AGENCY’s 2026 ranking singled out the group’s strength in intellectual property and fan marketing, and that focus runs through its international plans. Its three-year agreement with Stagwell, signed in October 2026, covers taking IP business into global markets (starting with the US) and supporting multinational brands entering or growing in Japan. Stagwell had already acquired ADK GLOBAL in January 2025.

5. McCann Japan

Omnicom · Aoyama · mccann.co.jp

McCann Japan began in Tokyo in 1960 as a joint venture with Hakuhodo, which the company describes as Japan’s first Japanese-American advertising joint venture. It took its current name in 2026, having traded as McCann Erickson, and now sits under Omnicom. The office is in the Shin-Aoyama Building in Minami-Aoyama.

Takashi Aoki became Representative Director and CEO of McCann Worldgroup Japan in August 2025. The agency works with domestic companies, foreign-owned companies and Japanese companies operating globally, and its site currently features “KEWPIE IT.” for Kewpie and “TAIMATSU”, a project on Musashi knives.

6. VML & Ogilvy Japan

WPP · Ebisu · vo-jpn.com

VML & Ogilvy Japan is WPP’s combined Tokyo company for the two brands, based in Yebisu Garden Place Tower. It traces its origins to a 2019 partnership between Geometry Global and The Ogilvy Group, and describes itself as a full-service marketing communications firm with a strength in brand activation. Joshua Goodall and Asuka Yokota were appointed Co-CEOs in March 2025.

Work includes an influencer partnership for Kabi Killer in 2025 and a Delta campaign with the skateboarder Yuto Horigome. Brands looking for either Ogilvy or VML in Japan will deal with this one team.

7. Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo

Independent · Tokyo · wk.com

Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo is the Japanese office of the independent global creative company. David Colman and Eleanor Thodey were appointed as its new management team in May 2026, and LBB has covered the office’s new chapter under them.

Nike remains a client: in October 2026 the office brought together 300 rare archive pieces for “NIKE SUPER ARCHIVES”. Tinder’s “SwipeCenter”, aimed at Gen Z, ran the same month, and earlier work includes manhole installations honouring Japanese players for MLB. Its credits also name Audi, Shiseido and Laforet. Since the leadership is new, it is worth asking who will run your account.

8. Daiko

Hakuhodo DY Group · Tokyo · daiko.co.jp

Daiko was founded in 1944 and has 634 employees as of April 2026. Its company outline lists a head office in Nakanoshima, Osaka, and it also runs a Tokyo head office. It follows Hakuhodo DY Group policies and trades under its own name.

Its client list is heavy with Japanese consumer brands, including Glico, Kracie, Oisix, Acecook, Imuraya and Ohta’s Isan. The two head offices may suit a consumer brand that wants one agency across the Tokyo and Osaka markets.

9. Yomiko

Hakuhodo DY Group · Akasaka · yomiko.co.jp

Yomiko is a Tokyo agency with its head office in the Akasaka Park Building, in the same district as Hakuhodo. Its site links to Hakuhodo DY Holdings for group governance and carries group news alongside its own.

Recent public activity points to its interests: staff spoke at the Google Cloud Agentic AI Summit in autumn 2026 and at a talk on social urban planning in Copenhagen, and its web magazine covers AI, urban strategy and creative awards. Ask for case studies in your category at the pitch stage.

What to look for in a Tokyo advertising agency

Start by deciding how much of the media you want the agency to handle. Dentsu and Hakuhodo run creative and media together, which keeps both under one contract. International network offices tend to be smaller and often work to a global brand platform, adapting it for Japan, so they suit multinationals that already have a relationship with the network.

Ask how competing accounts are handled. The largest Tokyo groups work across many categories at once, and the arrangements for separating teams vary. It is better to raise this at the start, along with whether any of the holding company’s other agencies already work with a direct competitor.

Check who will run your account and in which language. Multinational clients often need both Japanese and English at senior level, and the mix differs a lot from one office to the next. McCann Japan, VML & Ogilvy Japan and W+K Tokyo have all had leadership or structural changes since 2025, so names from an older credentials deck may be out of date.

Then look at how the work moves through approval. A Tokyo campaign can involve film, print and out-of-home versions in two languages, with reviewers in Japan and at a regional or global head office. Agencies with one clear place for the latest files and a tracked feedback process lose less time across those time zones.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the best advertising agency in Tokyo?

There is no single answer, as the right agency depends on the brief. On recent recognition, TBWA\HAKUHODO won 15 awards and 3 Grand Prix at the 2026 ACC Tokyo Creativity Awards, and the Japanese trade site AD AGENCY named Dentsu its first Ad Agency of the Year in June 2026. Hakuhodo ranked first for creative in the same ranking.

What happened to McCann Erickson in Japan?

The company was renamed McCann Japan in 2026. It is based in Minami-Aoyama and is part of Omnicom, which completed its acquisition of McCann’s former parent IPG at the end of 2025.

Are Ogilvy Japan and VML Japan separate agencies?

No. They work as one Tokyo company, VML & Ogilvy Japan, part of WPP and based in Ebisu.

Did Dentsu sell its international business?

No. Dentsu ended the plan in February 2026, saying it would not pursue a comprehensive partnership that relied fully on an outside partner. It remains open to deals in individual local markets.

Where can I find independent agencies in Tokyo?

This list concentrates on large groups and network offices, with W+K Tokyo as the one independent. Smaller independents and idea studios are covered in our list of creative agencies in Tokyo.

Related lists

Advertising agencies in other cities: New York · London · Los Angeles · Chicago · Toronto

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