Japan's anime industry is experiencing unprecedented growth, both domestically and internationally, thanks to the rapid growth of social media and streaming platforms.
This boom has transformed anime into a global entertainment powerhouse, generating billions of dollars each year. In light of this success, the Japanese federal government has set an ambitious goal of quadrupling the global anime market by 2033.
This goal is part of the broader Cool Japan initiative, a strategy aimed at enhancing Japan's cultural influence worldwide.
Japan aims to quadruple its overseas market by 2033
The campaign's revised goals and timeline, announced this summer, underscore the government's commitment to expanding anime exports. The goal is to increase this export turnover to 130 billion USD by 2033, four times the current value of global anime exports.
By 2022, Japan's revenue from entertainment exports, including anime, manga and games, will be on par with income from microchip manufacturing, highlighting the growing importance of the country's soft power .
The Cool Japan campaign recognizes the important role anime and manga play in attracting international audiences, especially younger generations, and positions these media as important gateways to Japanese culture.
The strategy emphasizes the need to combat piracy as an important measure to expand global markets. The campaign calls for swift and coordinated intergovernmental action to tackle website piracy, which is a significant threat to industry growth.
With the overwhelming success of anime over the past decade, it is no surprise that Japan wants to increase investment in this field.
Anime is one of the fastest growing entertainment mediums worldwide, with a significant weekly viewership among Gen Z and Millennials.
In addition to anime, manga sales are exceeding expectations and Japanese role-playing games (JRPGs) are becoming popular. As a result, Japan is willing to invest significantly in the future of anime, aiming for even greater market expansion and global influence.
