Japan reveals plans to boost support for games and content industries as new growth pillar

• The government aims to boost annual overseas sales to $130bn by 2033.
• Current public support stands at $164m, with calls to raise funding above $651m.
• New measures will target global distribution, anti-piracy efforts, and AI-driven translation tools.

Japan is set to significantly expand government support for its video games and broader content industries to position the sector as a new pillar of national economic growth.

As reported by The Japan Times, overseas sales of Japanese content reached approximately ¥5.8 trillion ($37.7 billion) in 2023, surpassing semiconductor exports.

The government has set a target of increasing annual overseas sales to ¥20 tn ($130bn) by 2033. While ¥25.3 bn ($164m) is currently allocated to support the content industry. 

Moreover, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party has called for funding to be raised to more than ¥100bn ($651m), citing stronger public-private backing in countries such as South Korea and the United States.

Budget expansion

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration has also earmarked ¥35bn ($228m) in the supplementary budget for fiscal 2025 as part of a multiyear investment plan. 

Measures will focus on strengthening global distribution, tackling manga piracy, and expanding the use of AI-driven translation tools.

This comes after Japan’s Content Overseas Distribution Association asked OpenAI to stop using its members’ works to train models such as Sora 2, alleging potential copyright infringement.

The request was backed by member companies including Aniplex, Bandai Namco, Studio Ghibli, Square Enix, Kadokawa, and Shueisha.