Highlights
- Japan plans to expand the anime export market to ¥6T (~ $37.54B) by 2033.
- Streaming platforms contribute nearly half of overseas revenue across 200 markets.
- Through programs like IP360 and increased budgets, Japan aims to scale anime industry growth.
Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) is aiming to expand the global anime export to ¥6 trillion (~ $37.54 billion USD) by 2033. At its 18th Entertainment and Creative Industrial Policy Seminar on March 27, METI announced that the country plans to meet its target of expanding the overseas market for domestic creative industries to ¥20T (~ $125.13B) by 2033, outlining goals for specific sectors, including anime.
In 2024, the overseas anime market was estimated at roughly ¥2.17T (~$13.57B), which nearly doubled in two years, from 2022’s estimation of ¥1.46T (~$9.13B). Sustaining the growth momentum, which is driven by the global demand for anime, the government now aims to roughly triple the overseas anime market in less than 10 years.
The March 27 seminar coincided with the launch of METI's new IP360 support program. The program provides funding for new IP creation and makes indie developers eligible for grants of up to ¥10M (~$62.5K), covering pre-production through localization and overseas promotion.
Structural Challenges Behind Anime Export Market Scaling
METI’s data shows that the growth in the last ten years was ¥1.8T (~$11.27B). It also highlights that almost half of the current export market revenue comes from streaming platforms, with anime being distributed across 200 global markets.
What the agency identified were the gaps in anime licensing and secondary market activities, which the Japanese government is currently trying to regulate and expand. Japan’s anime industry has also been observing consistent workforce strain and budget issues related to large-scale production.
How METI Plans to Achieve the ¥6 Trillion Anime Export Market
METI plans to improve the funding and work environment while raising wages for anime industry professionals. The government body plans to increase private investment, along with government funding, to achieve the scale.
Previously, AJA committee member and HumanMedia CEO Megumi Onouchi noted at Tokyo International Film Festival Content Market (TIFFCOM) in October 2025 that “Overseas revenue is now climbing high and has not yet reached the peak.” He cited 160 anime-related events across 50 countries as evidence of anime’s broadening international reach.
TIFFCOM 2025
The government budget support for the anime industry has also increased from under ¥20B (~$125.24M) in fiscal year 2024 to ¥58.9B (~$368.85M) in fiscal year 2026. METI accounts for ¥35.5B (~$222.31M) of that funding, roughly 60%, surpassing the Agency for Cultural Affairs' allocation, effectively positioning cultural content as an economic priority.
Notably, as per the government body’s projection, almost 90% of Japan’s entire content export plan depends on anime and games. Coinciding with the guidance for the overseas anime market, manga is targeted to grow from ¥300B (~$1.9B) to ¥1T (~$6B) by 2033.
Along with state-backed initiatives, studios like Toho, Bandai Namco, and KADOKAWA have separately targeted the anime export market and IP creation steps. Aligning with this growth projection and structural challenges, METI's roadmap includes blockbuster production, new IP creation, international distribution platform expansion, and AI-platform developments as the primary levers. Japan’s state-backed initiative for the anime export market will test how METI and overall Japanese anime industry tackle structural reforms that can keep pace with market expansion.
