The Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo.
6:00 JST, May 16, 2024
A Liberal Democratic Party subcommittee on digital content strategy wants Japan’s content industry, including anime, to 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 as one of Japan’s most important industries.
The draft proposal calls for the content industry, which had a market size of about 13 trillion yen in 2022, to undergo structural reforms with the public and private sectors working together. It wants public investment to more than double by 2030.
Recognizing that the future competitiveness of the industry 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, citing 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 foreign investigative authorities. It notes that piracy problems are particularly serious in Vietnam and calls for “criminal sanctions to be swiftly implemented” under mutual legal assistance treaties.
The draft proposal also calls for the early implementation of what is tentatively called the ‘Digital Archives Promotion Act’ to encourage the digitization and preservation of valuable documents and other materials.
The government plans to draw up an intellectual property promotion plan in June, based on the LDP proposal.
