XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) is up 5% over the past 24 hours as Ripple executives arrived in Japan for the XRP Tokyo 2026 conference on April 7, focusing on institutional adoption, RWA tokenization, and DeFi expansion.

The Japan Conference

XRPL Japan is hosting XRP Tokyo 2026 with several Ripple executives including Christina Chan, Tatsuya Kohrogi, and Markus Infanger set to speak. 

The event also features Securitize Japan’s Eiji Kobayashi, Evernorth’s Meg Nakamura, SBI Ripple Asia’s Takafumi Shimoyama, and A16z Crypto’s SungMo Park.

Japan holds strategic importance for Ripple and XRP through longstanding partnerships with SBI Holdings. 

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse confirmed growing demand for crypto assets and RLUSD stablecoin from traditional finance.

SBI’s relationship with Ripple dates back to 2016 through SBI Ripple Asia, working on cross-border payment solutions across Japan, South Korea, India, and the Philippines. SBI remains Ripple’s largest external shareholder.

The Japan Partnership

SBI’s relationship with Ripple dates back to 2016 through SBI Ripple Asia, where both have worked on cross-border payment solutions across Japan, South Korea, India, and the Philippines. 

These are real payment corridors using XRP, not just paper plans.

SBI remains Ripple’s largest external shareholder, making its continued support a key factor in XRP’s broader narrative. 

In February 2026, SBI launched a 10 billion yen ($64 million) blockchain bond that rewards investors with XRP—a first for a major Japanese financial institution.

Plans are in place to introduce Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin in Japan via SBI’s licensed exchange. 

SBI Ripple Asia has teamed up with the Asia Web3 Alliance Japan to support startups building financial tools on the XRP Ledger.

The Technical Setup

XRP staged a sharp recovery candle today after grinding lower since April 3’s lows near $1.28. 

All four EMAs—20 at $1.3235, 50 at $1.3205, 100 at $1.3296, and 200 at $1.3514—compressed into an unusually tight cluster. 

When all EMAs compress like this, a momentum decision point is typically near.

The Supertrend flipped green at $1.3163, the first bullish signal on the 2-hour timeframe in weeks. Short-term sellers are losing control of the narrative on this timeframe.

However, the descending trendline from April 17’s $1.61 high sits just above current price. XRP needs to break and hold above $1.36-$1.38 to confirm this isn’t another failed bounce.

Key support sits at $1.3163 (Supertrend) with $1.28 below that. Resistance clusters at $1.3514 (200 EMA), then $1.38, then $1.42.

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