About 40 firms, including major electronics makers, took part in the event held on Monday and Tuesday. A council of Japanese business organizations for the 2020 games sponsored the event.

Fujitsu presented an ID card-sized translation device that can be worn by users. It weighs only 65 grams and gives translations between Japanese and English or Chinese.

Officials showed how the device can be used. A woman pretending to be ill explained her symptoms in Chinese, and her comments were translated into Japanese by the device.

The Japanese electronics firm also exhibited a device for people with hearing impairment. It allows them feel applause through vibrations. The device can be worn like a hairpin.

Another electronics maker, Panasonic, displayed an electric wheelchair. The wheelchair is equipped with a sensor and stops automatically when it detects obstacles. The wheelchair still needs some manual operation. But the company hopes to put a version with a self-driving system into use at Tokyo's Haneda airport as early as the next fiscal year starting in April.

Noriaki Murai of the business council said that in the spirit of the 2020 Games, he hopes to see products developed that are helpful to people.