The cross-ministry request would support an industry whose overseas sales stand at around JPY6.1 trillion, against a government target of JPY20 trillion by 2033; the funding is not yet approved.
Japan’s government has sought roughly JPY250 billion ($1.67 billion) across ministries for content-industry investment in its fiscal 2027 budget request, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Akazawa Ryosei said at the Tokyo International Film Festival opening on 26 October. Cabinet Office official Nakahara Hirohiko also disclosed that a task force preparing a new body to coordinate government support first met on 22 October.
The budget request follows Japan’s existing goal of reaching JPY20 trillion in overseas content sales by 2033. At the opening, Akazawa put those sales at around JPY6.1 trillion ($40.7 billion), in remarks covered by Variety, which valued the target at $133 billion. The requested funding is not approved spending.
Nakahara, director-general of the Cabinet Office’s Intellectual Property Strategy Promotion Secretariat, described the preparations at the Motion Picture Association’s annual seminar at the festival, Variety said on 27 October. The prime minister directly ordered the proposed body to coordinate content policy now divided among several government departments.
It would bring together the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the Agency for Cultural Affairs and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, alongside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for overseas expansion. The government aims to launch the body in 2027: the 22 October meeting was preparatory, not the start of an operating body or approval of funding.
Akazawa separately put government support spending in the current fiscal year at around JPY55 billion ($350 million) during the 26 October opening,
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| Fiscal year | Amount | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Current fiscal year | Around JPY55 billion ($350 million) | Government spending to support the industry |
| Fiscal 2027 | Roughly JPY250 billion ($1.67 billion) | Requested across ministries; not yet approved |
At the same seminar, “Tokyo Vice” producer Alex Boden called for changes to Japan’s international production incentive, which provides financial support based on production spending in Japan. He said it offers 50% against Japanese spending, but that a minimum spend raised to JPY800 million ($5.1 million) shut out independent films and co-productions. Most Japanese films cost between $1.5 million and $3 million.
Boden sought automatic approval instead of panel-based selection, saying producers needed certainty for projects that can take three to five years to assemble. Netflix production policy director Deb Richards also criticised unclear criteria and said applicants could understand rejections only by examining which projects were approved. These were requests for reform, not adopted changes to eligibility or approval rules.
In her video message at the 26 October opening, Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae said her cabinet had made content, including film, a priority in its growth strategy. The government plans to support Japanese film production and attract foreign location shoots. The coordinating-body plan forms part of a public-private investment roadmap drawn up in July, which also covers international co-productions based on Japanese intellectual property and tougher anti-piracy measures.
The government’s next stated step is the coordinating body’s planned launch in 2027. A separate budget decision is still needed before the requested fiscal 2027 funding can become approved spending.
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Update ·
A preparatory task force met on 22 October for a coordinating body planned for 2027, while industry participants called for changes to production incentives.
Update ·
Minister Akazawa Ryosei put current-fiscal-year content-industry support spending at around JPY55 billion, separate from the fiscal 2027 budget request.
