Summary

Japan is a country known for its industry and is home to major brands like Panasonic, Nintendo, Toyota, Canon, and more. However, beyond cars and electronics, there is another huge industry that many people think of when they think of Japan - and that is anime, of course. Anime is a huge money-maker for Japan, and as itcontinues to expand internationally in popularity, it has the potential to earn the country more money than ever.

However, the anime industry in Japanhas a notorious dark side, with long working hours, low wages, and even suicide from overwork consistently reported over the years. This has made many people wary of entering the industry. In an attempt to change the anime industry for the better, and hopefully help it to grow and earn even more money for Japan, the Japanese government has launched a new initiative. This new plan by the Japanese government’s goal is to both expand and maintain the anime industry in Japan, taking advantage of anime’s continued popularity to boost the economy by investing in what they hope are the right places.

Japanese Government Sees the Potential in Anime

Anime is a Multi-Million-Dollar Industry

The new initiative to build up the anime industry in Japan is called the Industry-Academic Collaborative Anime Human Resources Training Committee (temporary name). This push is being done through the Agency for Cultural Affairs. This agency was created to bolster all forms ofentertainment Japan produces, especially video games, movies, music, and, of course, anime. This new initiative is specifically targeting the anime industry, hoping to build it up, attract more people to work in it, and expand it even further.

Japanese newspaperYomiuri Shimbunreports on the agency (translated from Japanese),

One of the reasons for the Agency’s focus on human resource development is that, while expectations are rising for the expansion of the animation industry in Japan, the problems of low wages and long working hours at production sites have not been corrected. Creators have voiced concerns such as, “I can’t envision my future career path,” and the Agency hopes to help them acquire comprehensive skills for each stage of their careers.

Even non-anime fans can likely guess that anime is a major industry in Japan, both domestically and internationally, but just how big is it? How much is the anime industry really bringing in? Yomiuri Shimbun reports that in 2022, the anime industry was worth approximately 1.45 trillion yen ($10 million USD). While that is already a multi-million-dollar industry, the government has a goal for anime to bring in even more. The new government initiative hopes to bring anime up to 20 trillion yen (over $140 billion USD) by 2033.

That is an incredibly high goal, but it is not founded on nothing. Anime has continued to gain popularity, especially internationally, with huge series likeOne PieceandBlue Lockbeingfeatured by international sports teams, anime t-shirts for sale around the world, and anime movies winning global awards and recognition. While a lot of work will need to be done in the anime industry to bring revenue up to 20 trillion yen, the government has recognized the potential that it has to earn more than it currently does.

The Industry-Academic Collaborative Anime Human Resources Training Committee

How the Government Plans to Change the Anime Industry

As stated above, the Industry-Academic Collaborative Anime Human Resources Training Committee has targeted plans to change the anime industry, hopefully for the better. One of the first areas that it will target is the work life of those who work directly in the industry, which haslong been plagued by poor working conditions. If no one wants to work in the anime industry due to its poor reputation, there won’t be any more anime, simply put. The industry has to change if it is to have a long-term future.

The way that the government initiative is hoping to do this is to start at an educational level. SoraNews24 reports that the Agency for Cultural Affairs will be,

…developing guidelines to provide the necessary skills for anime creation — such as directing, storyboarding, sound engineering, and editing — and encouraging studios, universities, and vocational schools to implement them. Their programs will also focus on foreign language communication and intellectual property management, so creators can be better equipped to expand overseas. Meanwhile, the Agency for Cultural Affairs will encourage more universities and vocational schools to establish courses in anime…

In addition to providing more skills and encouraging more people to work in the anime industry, the Agency will also be supporting anime studios to help “maintain and restore old footage,” helping to preserve bits of anime history.

Again, the anime industry has a long way to go if it is going to reach the goals set out by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. It has to undo years and years of stigma for employees in the industry, andcontinue to support developing skillsand interest in working in anime for both current and prospective employees. However, as the popularity of anime continues to grow, there is no time better than now to make this kind of targeted, direct investment and push. If the Japanese government can push the anime industry in the right way, it can earn more revenue than ever - and hopefully these positive changes will result in even more high-quality anime for fans around the world.