Highlights
- JCIAFF 2026 will host a full-day anime industry conference in Tokorozawa.
- Panels will explore AI animation, voice technology, anti-piracy strategies, and evolving anime trends.
- The event highlights a collaboration between Asia's two biggest animation industries (Japan and China).
The inaugural Japan-China International Animation Film Festival (JCIAFF 2026) will host a full-day anime industry conference on May 29 at Kadokawa Musashino Museum in Tokorozawa. The event, co-organized with the Japan Electronic Publishing Association (JEPA), is free to attend in person and streams live on YouTube.
The Tokorozawa industry event is a part of JCIAFF 2026, which runs May 28-31 at the broader Tokorozawa Sakura Town complex, marking the first animation festival linking Japan's and China's animation sectors at an institutional level. The Kadokawa Culture Promotion Foundation is organizing the festival, with Agency for Cultural Affairs Commissioner, Ryohei Miyata, serving as chairman.
According to the festival’s official program, the anime industry conference will host panels, discussions, and business sessions centered on indie animation, short-form projects, and emerging production technologies. The conference features five sessions scheduled across two rooms from 11 am to 5 pm JST.
Japan-China Animation Festival Anime Industry Conference: Indie Anime and AI Take Center Stage
A central focus of the industry event is the growing role of independent animation and short-form anime projects in Asia’s content ecosystem. Two afternoon sessions on indie anime and short anime reflect an industry shift in what animation production should look like.
Studio DOT's creative team behind the crowdfunded indie feature Wadachi wo Koete Yuke or Go Across the Tracks (2025) will address the significance of #indie_anime movement. Their session argues the model's viability and confronts the structural challenges the studio faced while making Go Across the Tracks.
During the COVID era, roughly 100 high school and working collaborators produced a full theatrical film over one year online. On the other hand, industry executives from Dai Nippon Printing, Rakuten Group, and BLUE RIGHTS, will discuss the possibilities of short-form light anime.
JCIAFF’s anime conference will also focus on AI tech in animation production. In this panel, Beijing Film Academy professor and animation director Sun Lijun will discuss China's AI animation landscape and innovative way of video production with Japanese counterparts.
IP Enforcement and AI Regulation Takes the Stage at JCIAFF Anime Industry Conference
Beyond new production trends, the conference will also address the commercial pressures, including piracy and AI, that are reshaping the anime business. CODA Representative Director Kentaro Goto and Beijing office chief Zhu Genquan will discuss anti-piracy operations and the legal complications introduced by video-generation AI.
Additionally, Michiyoshi Minamisawa, president and CEO of 81 Produce, will discuss AI's role in the voice acting and dubbing industry and global business expansion. In December 2025, 81 Produce announced a partnership with ElevenLabs Japan, framing the collaboration around a Hybrid Voice Actor model.
The model is designed to localize Japanese voices across 29 languages, while using digital watermarking and C2PA authentication for preventing unauthorized use while globalizing across markets.
The dual focus in the conversations reflects how animation companies are increasingly treating AI as both a business opportunity and a legal risk. With the dedicated anime industry conference in Tokorozawa, the Japan-China International Animation Film Festival appears to aim at blending fan-facing screenings of the main festival with a production and business forum for both countries' evolving and rising animation industries.
Disclaimer: The source material was machine translated from Japanese.
