Japan is one of the world's dominant forces in entertainment, having gained international recognition for multi-billion dollar franchises such as Godzilla, One Piece, Dragon Ball, Pokémon and many more. However, the country now aims to sharply increase its overseas profits, especially in the anime and gaming sectors.
According to Kyodo News, Japan has established a national government-backed initiative to massively expand its overseas entertainment market. By 2033, the country hopes to earn an additional 20 trillion yen (about $129 billion) in revenue from anime, manga and video games. To reach this financial milestone, Japan will have to increase nearly four times the current total overseas revenue, which is equivalent to about 4.7 trillion yen (as of 2022). To make this goal a reality, the government has restarted an initiative The decades-long strategy is affectionately known as the “Cool Japan” strategy.
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“Cool Japan” returns to the forefront of the Japanese anime and entertainment industry
First launched in 2010, Cool Japan is a marketing and branding strategy with the primary aim of increasing Japan's international appeal through participation in major global industries such as fashion, agriculture and entertainment. Entering mid-2024, the Japanese government has chosen to prioritize expanding the entertainment sector by seeking out promising young artists and improving the infrastructure of existing industries to protect creators' rights. creation and their intellectual property. It also aims to cooperate with international law enforcement agencies to prevent piracy attempts outside the country.
Japan aims to protect the Anime industry from problems such as low wages, overwork and piracy
Kyodo News describes one of Cool Japan's central goals as an effort to “address unfair trade practices that limit wages in the industry.” This is especially relevant in Japan's current animation industry, where wages are notoriously low everywhere. Some workers even said they were paid as little as 220 yen ($1.47) per drawing. Famous artists such as Eiichiro Oda (One Piece) and Terumi Nishii (Jujutsu Kaisen 0), have publicly addressed this issue, along with a number of other major issues plaguing the industry. In an interview conducted earlier this year, Nishii candidly addressed the biggest problems facing full-time animators, including huge workloads, quotas, and more. impractical and lacks unions supporting fundamental reforms. In recent years, animation advocacy groups such as NAFCA (Nippon Anime Film Culture Association) have emerged to address these and other major issues that are endemic to the industry.
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Anime voice actors currently face major problems with artificial intelligence
In addition to supporting industry reform and preventing international piracy, Cool Japan also aims to solve problems caused by the increasing use of AI programs. According to NAFCA, these programs pose a significant threat to voice actors, who are now at risk of having their audio clips reused by anyone without their knowledge or consent. In a public address titled “Intellectual Property Rights in the Age of AI,” NAFCA painted a grim picture of what can happen without proper government oversight. . ” [What if] For example, what if AI created a character with Doraemon's head, Robot's body, and Son Goku's voice?” Recognizing the high risk of abuse, the Japanese government has announced that it will address the legal issues surrounding what it refers to. as an “AI voice actor” while pursuing a 20 trillion yen target overseas.
Source: Kyodo News
