Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi Pledges Support For Japanese Film At Tokyo Fest Opening

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi used a video message at the Tokyo International Film Festival opening to reaffirm plans to expand overseas sales of Japanese content. The pledge matters because film has been designated a strategic sector, with the government promising long-term support for productions and efforts to attract international shoots.

Japan aims to raise overseas content revenue to 20 trillion yen, about $127 billion, by 2033 under its IP360 initiative. Economy minister Ryosei Akazawa said his ministry requested 250 billion yen ($1.6 billion) for the content industry in the 2027 budget; current overseas sales are 6.1 trillion yen ($39 billion). He cited the Kingdom franchise, which has earned more than 30 billion yen in total, and the forthcoming Godzilla Minus Zero as examples of Japanese content with export potential.