December 10, 2025

Japan Attracts Global Publishers as Manga and Anime Drive Inbound Licensing Talks

Business Matching Events Multiply to Turn Tokyo into a Hub for Content IP

As Japanese content such as manga and anime continues to gain worldwide popularity, licensing negotiations with overseas companies are increasingly being held in Japan. Organizers are stepping up efforts to expand both the number and scale of international business meetings, aiming to draw foreign publishers to Tokyo and turn rich domestic content into globally marketable intellectual property.

The International Manga and Anime Festival Reiwa Toshima (IMART), a private sector-led initiative, will add a May edition to its traditional November event in 2025, effectively doubling its annual schedule of international business meetings. The first May session proved successful, attracting 77 participants from 38 companies, including publishers from Japan and abroad, over three days. MUGENUP, a Tokyo-based firm that operates a vertical reading manga production studio, joined the event in search of overseas partners. A company representative said it hopes to advance discussions primarily with foreign publishers to release translated editions of its titles.

Content Exports Rival Heavy Industries

According to estimates by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, exports of Japanese content, including anime and games, reached 4.7 trillion yen in 2022, a figure comparable to those of the steel and semiconductor sectors. Data from the Manga Research Institute show that the overall IP market for Japanese anime and manga stood at 3.7 trillion yen that year, with overseas business accounting for 1.5 trillion yen, roughly 40 percent of the total. That share is expected to climb to around 50 percent by 2026.

Global interest in Japanese storytelling is also spreading beyond comics and animation. Yuzuki Asako’s novel “Butter” was published in the United Kingdom in 2024 and has since attracted a strong readership. Organizers believe that business-matching events like IMART will help open overseas markets not only for manga and literature but also for practical books and other Japan-related titles.

Hirayanagi Tatsuki, one of the organizers, says the ultimate goal is to “make Japan the center of the global manga and anime business.” If more domestic venues foster international deal making, Japan’s content industry could significantly strengthen its global competitiveness.