Highlights
- Netflix secures access to Toho Studios’ new facilities, enabling up to 15 Japan-origin productions per year from 2028.
- The partnership leverages large-scale, carbon-free electricity-facilitated studio stages.
- The upcoming The Human Vapor live-action adaptation anchors the collaboration.
Netflix has signed a multi-year agreement with Toho Studios to use their new studios, aiming to significantly expand its production footprint in Japan. The deal, announced on Jan 27, 2026, will start from 2028, enabling the streamer to produce as many as 15 films and series per year on site, more than double its current output.
The announcement came during Netflix’s “Next On Netflix 2026” media event in Tokyo, where Vice President of Content, Kazutaka Sakamoto, outlined the company’s plan to leverage Toho's upcoming No. 1 and No. 2 stages, which are currently under construction.
Netflix says the deal will allow simultaneous setup of multiple large-scale sets, boosting production efficiency and supporting a wider production slate of Japan-originated content for global distribution.
The new stages are being positioned among the largest media facilities in Japan, with No.1 Stage having an effective area of roughly 860 m² and the No.2 Stage with an effective area of approximately 992 m². According to the announcement, the whole building will be powered with 24/7 carbon-free electricity, aligning with Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) "Guidelines for Electricity Retail Sales."
Human Vapor and Netflix-Toho Production Dynamics
The leasing agreement arrives as Netflix Japan plans to expand its live-action adaptation library, including Toho’s Human Vapor adaptation. Human Vapor, the 1960 sci-fi classic rooted in Japan’s tokusatsu film heritage, represents the first major live-action collaboration between Netflix and Toho Studios.
The Netflix series would present Toho’s The Human Vapor as a reimagined thriller, “using state-of-the-art VFX and setting the story in modern-day Japan,” with global distribution via Netflix. The original movie was renowned for its in-depth exploration of social oppression and power structure.
The project unites Netflix with executive producer and writer Yeon Sang-ho, known for Train to Busan and Hellbound, and Shinzo Katayama at the helm, merging Korean creative leadership with Toho’s production infrastructure. The series stars Shun Oguri and Yu Aoi in leading roles, marking a high-profile reunion of two acclaimed Japanese actors after 23 years.
Katayama, who has previously served as an assistant director under Academy Award-winning director Bong Joon-ho, showed his excitement about The Human Vapor’s “blend of human drama and romantic elements, despite featuring an absurd creature like the Human Vapor.” Sang-ho has stressed that the team has “focused on treating human emotions with care and portraying the characters’ humanity through the script.”
The inclusion of Human Vapor within its larger production ecosystem signals Netflix’s strategic intent to deepen its Japan-originated content offerings, blending Toho’s legacy IP with contemporary production practices. The newly signed agreement between Netflix and Toho Studios is likely to calibrate Netflix’s “Creative First” and live-action strategy.
