TOKYO: The Japanese government plans to step up support for the export of anime, manga and other Japanese content while helping content creators expand overseas.

In a draft unveiled Friday of a revised action plan for Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio’s “new capitalism” initiative, the government touted Japanese content, also including games and music, as “proud assets of Japan.” It indicated that it will draw up a strategy to boost the content industry and promote efforts under the strategy through public-private cooperation.

The Japanese content industry has grown enough to compete with the steel industry in terms of export value. In 2022, overseas sales of Japanese content totaled 4.7 trillion yen, compared with 5.1 trillion yen for the steel industry and 5.7 trillion yen for the semiconductor industry.

The content industry is also bringing economic benefits through tourists visiting places related to anime and other works.

The government will accelerate efforts to further develop the content industry by strengthening command functions for the industry.

Meanwhile, the content industry faces challenges, such as a delay in promoting the digitalization of music and other fields, long working hours, and insufficient return of profits to workers involved in content production.

At a meeting of the government’s new capitalism council in April, award-winning Japanese film director Hirokazu Koreeda, whose works include “Shoplifters,” cited challenges in working conditions and talent development and asked for government support.

To strengthen command functions for the content industry, the government will set up a public-private panel of content creators and officials from related government departments to discuss measures to improve working conditions and combat piracy, and to consider a support system.

The government also plans to establish a support framework dedicated to the film industry and integrate budgets for related measures, which are currently divided between the culture and industry ministries.

On improving working conditions, the Japan Fair Trade Commission will conduct a fact-finding survey on trade practices in the music and broadcasting sectors, with a view to correcting inappropriate contracts between creators and talent agencies and establishing a system for returning profits to creators.

JIJI Press