Yokota Air Base VEX IQ Robotics Competition 2027

Agenda

Saturday January 16 Teamwork Challenge / Skills Challenge / Judging

08:30 AM Yokota Air Base Entry Begins
09:00 AM Doors Open / Inspection Begins
10:15 AM Drivers' Meeting Begins
10:45 AM Teamwork Challenge Matches and Skills Matches Begin
12:10 PM Lunch Begins
12:50 PM Matches Resume
03:45PM Finals Matches Begin / Skills Matches End
04:15 PM Award Ceremony Begins
04:30 PM Clean-up Begins

*The schedule will be updated closer to the competition.

Volunteer

Each team is required to provide at least one volunteer.

Volunteers may include coaches, parents/guardians, relatives, friends, alumni, siblings of team members, or other supporters.

Please complete the Volunteer Application Form to register as a volunteer.

Because this event will be held inside Yokota Air Base, all volunteers must also be included in the team's Base Access Registration Form. The team's coach or designated representative is responsible for submitting the Base Access Registration Form. Volunteers should not submit the Base Access Registration Form individually.

As the event approaches, the Event Partner will contact registered volunteers regarding their assigned roles.

Volunteer Application Form

Emergency/Bad Weather Policy

In the event of severe weather, earthquakes, transportation disruptions, or other circumstances that may affect the safe operation of the event, the tournament may be delayed, modified, or canceled.

Because this event will be held inside Yokota Air Base, the event may also be affected by base closures, access restrictions, or other decisions made by Yokota Air Base authorities.

If there are any changes to the event, information will be posted on the event page, and registered teams will be contacted using the contact information associated with their VEX Events accounts.

Please ensure that your team's contact information is accurate and up to date.

Refund and Payment Policies

More than 30 Days Notice: Teams providing official written notice of withdrawal more than 30 days prior to the event start date will receive a full refund.

30 Days or Less Notice: Withdrawals requested 30 days or less prior to the event start date are not eligible for a refund due to advanced scheduling and event preparation commitments.

Absence Without Notice: If a registered team fails to appear for the event without prior official written notice, the registration fee will be forfeited.

On-Site Non-Participation: Teams that arrive at the venue but subsequently choose not to participate in the competition are not eligible for a refund.

Base Access Requirements: Teams that are unable to enter Yokota Air Base because they failed to submit the required base access information or complete required access procedures are not eligible for a refund.

Code of Conduct Violations: If a team is disqualified or prohibited from participating due to violations of the Code of Conduct or other applicable competition rules, no portion of the registration fee will be refunded.

Judging Format

The Engineering Notebook will be evaluated only on competition day. Engineering notebooks will be submitted digitally for evaluation via a link in the "My Account" panel of the team contact on events.vex.com. The submission deadline is Saturday, January 9, 2027, 18:00 Japan Standard Time.

After the submission deadline, the Judge Advisor will download the submitted Digital Engineering Notebooks for evaluation. Teams may continue to update their notebooks after the deadline; however, only the version downloaded by the Judge Advisor will be used for judging.

Teams can participate in this event without an Engineering Notebook and still be interviewed, but the Team will not earn any top judged awards. For the most current award descriptions and judging criteria, please check

Late submissions or failure to submit the Engineering Notebook digitally will not be entertained. Please refer to the Refund Policy on Team withdrawal cases.

Team interviews will be conducted in-person at the event. Each Team can bring their own physical engineering notebook as a presentation tool during the interview.

Access Information

Saturday, January 16, 2027
Yokota Middle School, Yokota Air Base
Fussa, Tokyo, Japan

Base Entry:
Participants and visitors will enter Yokota Air Base through the designated gate based on their mode of transportation.

By Train:
The nearest station is JR Ome Line Fussa Station. The Fussa Gate is approximately a 10-minute walk from the station.

Please note that Yokota Air Base is very large, and additional travel will be required from the gate to Yokota Middle School. Teams will also need to transport their robots and other equipment.

For these reasons, we recommend traveling to the event by car whenever possible.

By Car:
Teams traveling by car must enter Yokota Air Base through the Fussa Gate. There is free parking available at Yokota Middle School.

By Bus:
Buses must enter Yokota Air Base through the Terminal Gate (Gate 12). Free bus parking is available at the bus pickup area next to Yokota Middle School.

From the Gate to Yokota Middle School:
All visitors must be escorted while on Yokota Air Base. A representative from the school will meet visitors at the designated gate and escort them to Yokota Middle School.

Detailed entry procedures, meeting locations, and entry times will be announced before the tournament.

Important:
All adults entering Yokota Air Base with a team must complete the required base access procedures in advance. Students participating on the team do not need to be registered for base access, regardless of nationality.

Please review the Base Entry Requirements on the event page and complete the required procedures before traveling to the venue.

Payment Link

The tournament registration fee is JPY 22,000 per team.

For all events organized by YSE in Japan, we use Stripe as our payment service provider.
For security reasons, we do not accept on-site payments, including cash payments.

If you are unable to pay by credit card, please contact the Event Partner for assistance.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Click here to pay

Sponsor

This event is part of the efforts to promote STEM education and is supported by the following sponsor companies.

Audio Visual Communications, Ltd.
JVCKENWOOD Corporation
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.
Keio Corporation
GMO Media, Inc.
Nippon Steel Kowa Real Estate Co., Ltd.
OBAYASHI Corporation
Power One Stop Co., Ltd.
Power Project Co., Ltd.
Sumitomo Life Insurance Company
ZOTAC Nippon Corporation

Student-Centered Zone

At YSE-hosted competitions, we designate a Student-Centered Zone. Within this zone, coaches, mentors, parents, and other adults are asked not to remain in the pit area for more than five minutes.
This zone is not required by the official competition rules. Rather, it is a YSE event policy established in support of the Student-Centered philosophy that underpins the VEX Robotics Competition. To learn more about the Student-Centered philosophy, please click here.

We ask all adults to support students in accordance with the Student-Centered philosophy by respecting their independence and ownership of the learning process. In particular, adults must not interfere with student learning by making robot adjustments, modifying programs, or otherwise taking over tasks that should be completed by students. If inappropriate adult involvement is observed, event staff may report the incident to the Judge Advisor (or to the Head Referee or Event Partner at events without judging), which may affect the team's evaluation. Furthermore, if a team fails to correct its behavior after being warned by event staff, the team may be disqualified (DQ) and may lose its eligibility to continue competing, even after the event has begun.

YSE introduced the Student-Centered Zone because we have found that the Student-Centered philosophy is not always fully understood. When adults remain in the pit area for extended periods, opportunities for students to collaborate, communicate, and solve problems independently can be diminished. By establishing the Student-Centered Zone, we hope to encourage a deeper understanding of this philosophy while fostering a learning environment where students can take ownership of their own growth and development.
We sincerely appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

Base Entry Requirements

Because this event will be held inside Yokota Air Base, advance base access procedures are required for all participating teams.

The team’s coach or designated representative must complete the Base Access Registration Form for all adults who plan to enter Yokota Air Base with the team, including coaches, parents/guardians, volunteers, and other accompanying adult visitors.

Students participating on the team do not need to be included in the Base Access Registration Form, regardless of nationality.

Please submit one form for your team or organization. Individual adults should not submit separate forms.

Base Access Registration Form

Required Information

The following information must be provided for each adult who plans to enter Yokota Air Base:

• Full name
• Nationality
• Current address
• Date of birth

Identification Documents

Identification document requirements for adults differ depending on nationality.

Japanese adults:
A copy of a passport is required. If the individual does not have a passport, a copy of their driver's license may be submitted instead.

Non-Japanese adults:
A copy of their passport and Japanese Residence Card is required.

Required identification documents must be uploaded through the Base Access Registration Form.

Please make sure that each uploaded file can be clearly matched with the person listed in the form. Please include the person's full name in each file name.

All adults listed in the Base Access Registration Form must bring the same identification document(s) with them when entering Yokota Air Base on the day of the event.

Base Access Approval

Base access procedures may vary depending on nationality, and approval for individuals from some countries may take several weeks. Additional information or documentation may be requested after the submitted information has been reviewed.

Please complete the Base Access Registration Form as soon as possible after registering for the tournament.

Registration for the tournament does not automatically guarantee entry to Yokota Air Base.

Waitlist

0 teams are on the waitlist for this event.