Companies from Japan and abroad are showcasing next-generation business tools related to the metaverse, a virtual world in which people can work, shop and socialize, at Japan’s leading electronics fair that opened to the media on Monday.

The annual show, which will be open to the public Tuesday through Friday at the Makuhari Messe convention center near Tokyo, has been held online for the past two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Meta Platforms Inc., owner of social networking service Facebook, is demonstrating its Horizon Workrooms metaverse service that enables participants wearing virtual reality headsets to hold business meetings in the form of their avatars in various virtual environments, such as a suite together to the sea and a classroom.

Meta Platforms Inc….