Japan’s entertainment business must adopt the model that made Hollywood studios global players if it wants to hit its content export targets, according to Shiina Yasushi, CEO of TIFFCOM, the Tokyo International Film Festival’s content market now heading into its 23rd edition.
Shiina Yasushi (Credits: Variety)
The Japanese government has set an ambitious target of JPY20 trillion ($126.6 billion) in overseas content sales by 2033, with anime expected to bring in JPY6 trillion ($38 billion) of that total. Shiina argues that simply looking abroad will not be enough without a change in how Japanese companies operate.
Shiina Yasushi Says Japan Needs Hollywood-Style Distribution
Hollywood’s studios became global players not just by making popular films, but by building distribution systems that carried those films into every market in the world. Shiina’s argument is that Japan needs the same kind of infrastructure: a distribution playbook that gets Japanese content to international audiences systematically, rather than relying on individual breakout hits.
The stakes are high. Japanese content, from anime to live-action film and television, already enjoys huge global demand, and the government’s export targets reflect that momentum. But turning popularity into sustained overseas revenue requires the business machinery to match the creativity.
TIFFCOM’s Role in Japan’s 2030 Expansion Plans
As TIFFCOM heads into its 23rd edition, the market itself is part of that machinery. With exhibition space selling out and more Japanese producers using the market to find partners early, Tokyo is positioning itself as the place where Japan’s global ambitions take shape.
Shiina, who eyes major expansion by 2030, is betting that the combination of a stronger market, a Hollywood-style distribution approach, and Japan’s unmatched creative output can turn the 2033 targets from aspiration into reality.
Also Read: Japanese Producers Drive Tokyo Market Growth as TIFFCOM Exhibition Space Sells Out Early and Tokyo Vice Producer and Netflix Executive Urge Japan to Reform Its Production Incentive
Source: Variety — read the full story there.
