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Yomiuri Shimbun file photo The Liberal Democratic Party’s headquarters in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
6:00 JST, May 16, 2024
A Liberal Democratic Party subcommittee on digital content strategy wants to see Japan’s content industry, including anime, reach a market size of ¥20 trillion by 2030, according to a draft proposal.
Former Justice Minister Takashi Yamashita chairs the subcommittee, and the LDP is expected to submit the proposal to the government soon. It would position the content industry a one of Japan’s key industries.
The draft proposal calls for the content industry, which as of 2022 had a market size of approximately ¥13 trillion, to undergo structural reforms with the public and private sectors working together. It wants government investment to more than double by 2030.
Recognizing that the industry’s future competitiveness depends on the creation of high-quality digital content, the draft proposal clearly states that the government will support the training of creators who can produce works using digital technology.
The rapid spread of generative AI has increased concerns about intellectual property rights infringement within the content industry. The draft proposal urges the government to consider rules for AI use of the voices and figures of actors and voice actors, referring to a Hollywood labor agreement that includes protecting the rights of actors and other workers.
Regarding measures against piracy websites that illegally distribute anime and other works on the internet, the draft proposal calls for strengthening cooperation with overseas investigative authorities. Noting that piracy issues are particularly serious in Vietnam, it requests that “criminal penalties be swiftly implemented” based on mutual legal assistance treaties.
The draft proposal also calls for the early enactment of what is tentatively called the “digital archive promotion law” to encourage the digitization and preservation of valuable documents and other materials.
The government plans to compile an intellectual property promotion plan in June, based on the LDP proposal.
