The Japanese government wants to establish anime, manga and other entertainment products even more strongly on the global market and is relying on a billion-dollar funding program that supports both international expansion and new large-scale productions. We summarize.
Billion dollar program for the content industry
As part of the plan announced around two years ago to increase the Japanese entertainment industry’s foreign revenues to 20 trillion yen (around 109 billion euros) per year by 2033, the Ministry of Economic Affairs has launched several support measures.
One of the funding priorities is the international marketing of Japanese content. A total of 11.5 billion yen (around 62 million euros) will be awarded to 15 companies in the industry.
Anime and manga recipients include Crunchyroll, Bandai Namco, Shueisha, Kodansha, NTT Solmare and Square Enix. Companies from the music, video games and live action sectors are also supported.
Funding includes, among other things, the localization of anime and manga for other language areas, international advertising campaigns and appearances at trade fairs and events abroad. The state covers up to 50 percent of the investment costs incurred.
The most important projects include the streaming service Crunchyroll and Shueisha’s manga platform “Shonen Jump+”, which are intended to significantly expand their international reach with the help of the funding. At the same time, the number of users of all supported offers is expected to grow from currently around 100 million to more than 300 million.
Anime studios receive subsidies
Another focus of the funding initiative is the “IP360” program, which is intended to support large-scale productions with international success potential. The Ministry of Economic Affairs has now completed the first round of selection and announced the selected companies.
For the anime sector, Aniplex, WIT Studio, CoMix Wave Films, Twin Engine, TRIGGER, Production IG, K2 Pictures and MAPPA were chosen.
The funding is earmarked and, depending on the project, can be used, among other things, for the development of new anime, the establishment of sustainable production structures and the improvement of working conditions for creative people.
In addition, measures from pre-production to localization and international marketing can also be financed.
Broad promotion of the production landscape
The grants cover up to 50 percent of the corresponding production costs and can reach a maximum of 1.5 billion yen (approximately 8 million euros). The specific funding amount depends on various criteria, including the average sales of the three most successful plants of the respective company to date.
If the proceeds later exceed a set threshold, part of the funding must be paid back to the state.
WIT Studio, TRIGGER, K2 Pictures and MAPPA use the funding for specific new anime projects. CoMix Wave Films and Twin Engine want to strengthen their general animation production.
Aniplex is currently investing in the expansion of a sustainable production structure, while Production IG wants to use the grants to create a long-term, sustainable working environment for creatives.
AI against piracy
In addition, the government initiative envisages the increased use of generative AI in order to be able to publish official translations of anime and manga more quickly. This is intended to prevent piracy sites from preempting the official versions with unofficial translations.
According to estimates by the Japanese government, piracy sites caused economic damage amounting to around 5.7 trillion yen (around 35 billion euros) in 2025 alone. Including copyright infringement on merchandise, the total damage amounted to 10.4 trillion yen.
The various funding measures underline the importance of the content industry, which for the Japanese government is one of the country’s 17 strategic growth areas and is expected to become even more internationally competitive in the future.
More on the topic:
Via The Japan News, Otaku Research Institute
© Kuzushiro / Kodansha Ltd.