The Japanese government has unveiled an ambitious strategy to strengthen support for the country’s anime, games, manga and broader content industries as key drivers of cultural export growth and global influence. Announced in early 2026, the initiative aims to expand overseas sales, enhance distribution networks, and invest in talent development as part of a long-term national economic and soft-power strategy.
Content Industries as a Growth Strategy
Japan’s entertainment and content sectors, particularly anime and video games have seen rapid overseas growth in recent years. Government data shows that overseas sales for Japanese creative content reached approximately 5.8 trillion yen (around $39 billion) in 2023, approaching the value of exports in traditional industries such as semiconductors.
To capitalize on this trend, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration has positioned anime, games and related content as a “pillar of economic growth” and a centerpiece of a revitalized cultural export strategy. One of the government’s goals is to boost annual overseas content sales to 20 trillion yen (about $130 billion) by 2033 more than quadruple current figures.
Expanded Government Support and Funding
As part of its renewed focus, the Japanese government is increasing direct funding for overseas expansion efforts. A supplementary budget for fiscal 2025 has earmarked tens of billions of yen toward strengthening global distribution, marketing, and creator support infrastructure, with calls from national lawmakers to further expand the budget to support the industry at levels comparable to international competitors.
The initiatives are designed to not only promote Japanese content internationally but also support domestic creators. This includes efforts to enhance human resource development, such as skills training in animation production, storytelling, and related fields to prepare talent for global engagement.
International Distribution, Anti-Piracy Measures, and Market Strategy
Part of Japan’s expanded plan involves improving overseas distribution systems that can unify and streamline access to Japanese cultural products, including anime and manga, while strengthening digital licensing frameworks. Government-backed platforms are being developed to combat revenue losses from fragmented international channels and piracy issues that currently hamper the global earning potential of Japanese IP.
Anti-piracy efforts are also central to the strategy, with Japan exploring the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies to detect and take down unauthorized distribution of manga and anime content online an effort aimed at protecting creators and capturing more revenue within official channels.
Broader Cultural Export Framework
This latest push is an evolution of earlier cultural initiatives such as the Cool Japan strategy, which sought to elevate Japanese culture including anime and games on the global stage. Under the revised framework, content industries are now treated as fundamental economic sectors, with coordinated government and private sector planning to maintain Japan’s competitive edge against global rivals.
Prime Minister Takaichi has also highlighted the broader value of anime and related content beyond economics, noting that Japanese cultural products play a growing role in international diplomacy and cultural diplomacy, especially in regions like Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America.
Outlook: A Strategic Cultural Export Push
With clearly defined targets and expanded budgetary commitments, Japan’s government is actively transforming anime and games into strategic export industries that support not only economic growth but also international cultural engagement. As global demand for Japanese content continues to rise, these policy measures aim to ensure that anime and games remain at the forefront of global pop culture and cultural influence through the remainder of the decade and beyond.