Japan's Anime Industry Grows to Near Parity with Semiconductors and Steel

Japan's anime and content exports are nearly on par with steel and semiconductors. This growth offers a chance to bolster the economy. U.S. sprinter Noah Lyles celebrated his Olympic win with a "Dragon Ball" pose, highlighting anime's global reach.

Japan's digital trade deficit hit 5.5 trillion yen in 2023, mainly from cloud services and internet ads. The content industry could reverse this, according to a Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry official.

The government's 2024 economic white paper supports this view, emphasizing the need to capitalize on strengths like content. Anime series like "Jujutsu Kaisen" and "Attack on Titan" top global charts. However, Japan lags in live-action films and mobile games compared to South Korea and China.

Japanese content providers have been cautious, focusing on the domestic market. This limits their global competitiveness. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's new economic agenda includes boosting content industry exports.

The Cool Japan Fund, launched in 2013, has struggled, losing nearly 40 billion yen. Developing effective policies for the content industry requires extensive trial and error.

Japan's content exports are close to 4.7 trillion yen, nearing semiconductor and steel exports. A successful content industry strategy could surpass auto exports, which stand at 13 trillion yen.