TOKYO: Pop-culture powerhouse Japan wants to expand its overseas market for video games, manga and anime fourfold to US$130 billion in about a decade, the government has said.
Japan, the birthplace of comic and cartoon epics such as Dragon Ball and game franchises from Super Mario to Final Fantasy, sees the creative industries as a driver for growth on par with steel and semiconductors.
In its revised “Cool Japan” strategy released on Tuesday (Jan 4), the government said it aims to boost exports of these cultural assets to ¥20 trillion (nearly US$130 billion) by 2033.
In 2022, Japan’s gaming, anime and manga sectors raked in ¥4.7 trillion (US$30 billion) from abroad – close to microchips exports at ¥5.7 trillion, government data shows.
“In recent years, content like anime and manga has played an extremely important role in attracting bigger and bigger young audiences abroad, serving as their ‘gateway’ to Japan,” the strategy document said.
