Japan wants to quadruple its foreign market for video games, manga and anime to $130 billion in the next decade, AFP reported.
Home country of comic book and animated epics like "Dragon Ball" and franchises from "Super Mario" to "Final Fantasy," sees creative industries as a growth engine equal to that of steel and semiconductors.
In its revised "Cool Japan" strategy, the government said it aims to increase exports of these cultural assets to 20 trillion yen (nearly $130 billion) by 2033.
In 2022, Japan's gaming, anime and manga sectors will have raked in 4.7 trillion yen ($30 billion) from abroad - close to the 5.7 trillion yen of microchip exports, government data show.
"In recent years, content such as anime and manga have played an extremely important role in attracting larger and larger young audiences overseas, serving as a 'gateway' to Japan," the strategy document said.
The streaming boom fueled by the pandemic has helped boost the global popularity of anime, including franchises like "Demon Slayer."
The growing phenomenon of "Vtubers" -- virtual animated YouTube content creators playing video games -- is also helping to boost Japan's international soft power, the strategy said.
Combining the growth of these sectors with related industries including fashion, cosmetics and inbound tourism, Japan aims to achieve economic benefits of 50 trillion yen by 2033.
The strategy also includes plans to crack down on pirate websites that illegally distribute free anime and manga in dozens of languages, including English and Vietnamese.
"Strengthening measures against pirate websites is essential to the expansion of the global market," the document said, warning that some of their advertising revenue could go to criminal syndicates.
"Swift intergovernmental action is needed" to tackle this piracy "crisis", Japanese authorities insist. | BGNES
