Impro Japan

Naomi Ikegami first encountered improv in 1994 and spent years from 1998 onward developing improv facilitation skills while traveling between Japan and the United States. She incorporated Impro Japan in October 2001, initially as a limited company and later restructured as a corporation. The company performed in early Tokyo improv festivals alongside groups such as Pirates of Tokyo Bay and built a resident cast performing at Puke Theatre in Shinjuku under the NeXT Impro Theatre banner. Ikegami became a board member of the Applied Improvisation Facilitator Academia (AIFA), anchoring the company within the international applied improv community. Impro Japan cast members have performed internationally, including at the Big Stinkin' International Sketch and Improv Festival in Austin, Texas, where performers won the Del Close So You Think You're Funny award.

Impro Japan performs Keith Johnstone's TheatreSports, Gorilla Theatre, and Micetro Impro formats alongside Del Close's Harold, and also produces original shows including improv musicals. The company balances theatrical performance with a strong applied training arm, using improv as a vehicle for communication skill development in corporate and educational contexts. Its dual identity as both a performance ensemble and a professional training organization sets it apart within the Japanese improv scene.