To date, Nintendo has never participated in the Tokyo Game Show, Japan's biggest game-industry event. However, for the second time, the Japanese answer to E3 will feature a keynote address by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata.

　　Iwata, who previously spoke at TGS in 2003, will give his speech on the first day of this year's event, which runs from September 16-18. However, the public won't be allowed entry until the 17th, meaning only press and those with game-industry affiliations will be in attendance.

　　The Computer Entertainment Suppliers Association (CESA), the primary Japanese game-industry organization that organizes Tokyo Game Show, also revealed today that Robbie Bach, Microsoft's chief Xbox officer, will also deliver a keynote at the event.

　　But while the two executives will speak on the same day, their companies have taken very different approaches to promoting their next-generation consoles in Japan. Microsoft has spared no expense marketing the Xbox 360, employing a passel of legendary Japanese game designers and staging its own high-profile event, the Xbox Summit 2005, in Tokyo this past Monday. According to a recent survey, though, the console has received only minimal interest from consumers.

　　Nintendo, by contrast, has remained tight-lipped about its next-gen console, the Revolution. Iwata's presence at the event has sparked speculation that more details about the device will be revealed at TGS, although no hard details were available.

　　As always, GameSpot will be at the Tokyo Game Show in September, and we'll have even more extensive coverage than at last year's event.