Tokyo: TIFFCOM Market Chief On Riding the Japanese IP Wave as Entertainment Landscape Shifts Due to AI

TIFFCOM is expanding its role as a market for adapting and selling Japanese intellectual property, as global interest in Japanese culture grows. Managing director Kaori Ikeda says the market is responding to changes in the entertainment business, including the rise of short dramas, tighter streaming budgets and the impact of AI.

A revamped Tokyo IP Market is connecting international producers with Japanese rights holders across film, games and other formats, with plans to include smaller publishers. TIFFCOM drew about 4,600 visitors and 300 exhibitors in 2025 and expects to match or exceed those figures this year; its programme also adds an AI and storytelling keynote. The market runs from 28 to 30 October in Tokyo.