The Guide to Japanese Film Industry & Co -Production - UNIJAPAN

The Guide to
Japanese Film Industry & Co-Production
2009
UNIJAPAN

Contents
¡About this guide ............................................................................................... 4
Foreword ............................................................................................................. 5
Chapter 1 Japan’s Film Industry
Postwar Japanese Film Industry and Development ....................................... 7
1. Japanese Film after World War II ............................................................ 7
2. Importing Films ..................................................................................... 8
3. 1950s Mark the Peak of the Japanese Film Industry ................................. 9
4. From 1960s Onwards — Japanese Film Industry in decline .................... 10
5. Boom of Artistic Films and Mini-Theaters ............................................. 10
6. Video Rental Stores and V-Cinema ........................................................ 12
7. Multiplex Cinemas ................................................................................ 13
8. Increasing Number of Screens and Plateauing Number of Audience ...... 14
9. TV Networks Entering the Film Industry ............................................... 15
10. IT Companies Entering the Film Industry .............................................. 16
11. The Japanese Film Bubble
—shift from imported films to Japanese films ........................................ 16
Overview of the Japanese Box-office for Year 2008 ....................................... 18
1. Japanese Films Exceed Imported Films .................................................. 18
2. Further Polarization between Majors and Independents ........................ 19
3. Box-office of Japanese Films .................................................................. 20
4. Box-office of Imported Films ................................................................ 22
Major Distributors ........................................................................................... 25
Statistics 2008 ................................................................................................... 37
Chapter 2 Co-production System in Japan
Development of Co-production System and Its Structure ........................... 40
1. Development of Co-production in Europe ............................................ 40
2. Development of Co-production in East Asia and Japan ......................... 41
3. Trying to Define International Co-production ....................................... 43
4. Works Recognized as Co-production in Japan
Three Patterns and Recent Cases ........................................................... 43
5. Challenges in Co-producing with Japan ................................................. 45
J-Pitch: Support Program for International Co-production ........................ 48
1. J-Pitch Activities ................................................................................... 48
2. Supported Films .................................................................................... 52
Film and Co-production Market in Japan ..................................................... 54
1. TIFFCOM: Marketplace for Film & TV in Asia ...................................... 54
2. Tokyo Project Gathering (TPG) Co-production Market ......................... 55
Other Support Schemes ................................................................................... 57
1. Support Program for the Production of Film and TV Programs on Japan
.............................................................................................................. 57
2. Subsidies for Culture and Arts Promotion Expenses
—Support for Challenging Film Production .......................................... 59
3. Support Program for the Participation at Film Festivals ......................... 62
Chapter 3 Filming in Japan
1. The Establishment of Film Commissions ............................................... 66
2. The Launch of Japan Film Commission (JFC) ....................................... 67
3. Some Useful Tips
—how to get the best support from film commissions ........................... 67
4. AFCNet (Asian Film Commissions Network) members ......................... 68
Chapter 4 Information on Japanese Films
Japanese Film Industry .................................................................................... 71
1. For the Statistics Refer to Motion Picture Producers
Association of Japan, Inc. (EIREN) ........................................................ 71
2. For the Imported Films Refer to Foreign Film Importer-Distributors
Association of Japan (Gaihaikyo) ........................................................... 71
3. For Research and Survey on Japanese Film Market Refer to
Kinema Junpo Film Institute ................................................................. 72
Japanese Film Database (JFDB) ...................................................................... 73
Content of JFDB .................................................................................... 74
Japan Location Database (JLDB) .................................................................... 75
Some Useful Links ........................................................................................... 76
¡About UNIJAPAN ............................................................................................. 78
[ Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and other names from cultures where the family name appears
first are printed in romanized form in this booklet in accordance with those customs, with
the family name first and the given name second.
2 3

About this guide Foreword
About this guide As of year 2006, UNIJAPAN together with the Ministry of Economy, Trade
and Industry has been actively supporting the promotion of international coproductions
between the Japanese and overseas producers.
This guide is made with an aim to serve as an introduction tool for furthering
the understanding of the work and condition of Japanese film market and the
opportunities it provides for the international co-productions. The guide gives
the general information and guidelines considered necessary for the overseas
filmmakers interested in co-productions with Japan.
This guide is produced by UNIJAPAN International Promotion Department,
under the support of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
For any inquiries, please contact:
UNIJAPAN International Promotion Department
5F Tsukiji Yasuda Bldg., 2-15-14, Tsukiji
Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045
Tel: 81-3-5565-7511
Fax: 81-3-5565-7531
Email: jpitch@unijapan.org
Attention: This guide is produced under the supervision of UNIJAPAN. It or any parts of
information it provides may not be reproduced and/or published by printing,
photocopying, microfilm or any other method without prior written permission of
UNIJAPAN.
This is the era where everybody creates.
— Patti Smith “A Rock’n’ Roll Star”
The era for films to be made by anyone, at anytime and anywhere has come.
Anywhere? Even in Japan? Of course! In Japan every year more than 400
films titles are made and released in cinemas. Departures, Tokyo Sonata,
Achilles and the Tortoise are one of those Japanese films.
However, we are often asked by overseas filmmakers how to produce a
film in Japan. “How can I get film-shooting permissions? Is there any public
support program for film co-production? Are there any co-production
agreements?”
There are different filmmaking cultures around the globe. Japan has
its own culture and support programs for filmmaking which might differ
from the others, but they do exist.
This guidebook is first and foremost made with an aim for you to
understand the state of Japan’s film market. It provides the summary of
Japanese film industry and support programs. It may not cover all the
information necessary for co-producing with Japanese companies but it is
surely the first step for bringing closer Japan’s film community to you!
UNIJAPAN J-Pitch Team
4 5

Chapter 1
Japan’s
Film
Industry
Postwar Japanese Film Industry and Development
Postwar Japanese Film Industry and Development
1. Japanese Film after World War II
By Kakeo Yoshio, Executive Director, Kinema Junpo Film Institute
The Japanese film industry after the defeat of Japan in World War II in
1945 started under the control of the General Headquarters (GHQ).
The industry was under the direct management of the Motion Picture
and Theatrical Unit of the Civil Information and Education Section in
the GHQ. Representatives of the film companies were assembled and an
announcement was made on September 22 that the underlying themes for
films were to be “abolishment of militarism,” “promotion of liberalism”
and “establishment of pacifism.”
The number of Japanese films shown in the cinemas from the day
Japan was defeated in World War II, August 15, 1945, to the end of that year
was 12 films, out of which the majority had been banned from screening
during the war as they were considered to be pro-America. The first postwar
Japanese film Soyokaze (1945; directed by: Sasaki Yasushi, starring: Sano
Shuji) was produced by Shochiku which became a great hit together with
its main theme song Ringo no uta sung by Namiki Michiko. The cinemas
at the time still showed signs of the war; the buildings were still half burnt
down with steel beams showing their faces and obviously short of seats. The
film industry, however, became a booming market and people swarmed to
the cinemas as the population increased with the returnees from China and
the demobilized veterans, as well as from the relief that the war was over.
The Japanese film industry revived rapidly as the prime entertainment
for the Japanese people. In 1951, Rashomon directed by Kurosawa Akira
won the Golden Lion (Leone d’Oro) at the Venice International Film
Festival. Japanese films were at its height in the 1950s as they won a number
of awards at the international film festivals.
title (year) film festival / award director
Rashomon (’51) Venice Film Festival / Golden Lion KUROSAWA Akira
Gate of Hell
(Jigokumon) (’54)
Cannes Film Festival / Palme d’Or KINUGASA Teinosuke
Twenty-Four Eyes Golden Globes / KINOSHITA Keisuke
(Nijushi no hitomi) (’54) Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film
Musashi Miyamoto Academy Awards / INAGAKI Hiroshi
(Miyamoto Musashi) (’55) Best Foreign Language Film
The Story of Pure Love
(Junai monogatari) (’58)
Berlin Film Festival / Best Director Award IMAI Tadashi
Rickshaw Man
(Muhomatsu no issho) (’58)
Venice Film Festival / Golden Lion INAGAKI Hiroshi
6 7

Chapter 1
Japan’s Film Industry Postwar Japanese Film Industry and Development
2. Importing Films
Even after the end of the war, Central Motion Picture Exchange (CMPE) of
the GHQ monopolized the provision and screening of imported films. All
new imported films shown in Japan for a year and a half after the war, until
the end of 1946 were American films. Private companies were not permitted
to import films. However, new films from the Soviet Union, UK, France and
Italy were also screened starting in 1947 upon the strong request by those
countries. Even so, the import of films by the Japanese nationals was still
not allowed as only one importing company was permitted per country,
under the condition that the president of the company was a national of
that country. The first screened films by country were as follows:
country company title [date]
Soviet Union Soviet Union Film Exporters Association Anton Iwanowitsch is Terribly Furious
[September 30, 1947]
UK British Film Institute (BFI) The Seventh Veil [December 2, 1947]
France French Film Export Union (SEF) Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bete)
[January 27, 1948]
Italy Italia Film Paisan (Paisà) [September 6, 1949]
In 1951, the Treaty of Peace with Japan was signed in San Francisco, and
Japan was to restore its sovereignty the following year, on April 28, 1952. The
organization that monopolized the distribution of American films, CMPE
was dissolved at the end of 1952. American films were then imported by
the branch office of Hollywood just like before the war. Furthermore, the
import of films by the Japanese was now permitted.
Towa Shoji Movie Department (Towa Eiga) founded by Kawakita
Nagamasa in 1928 was a leading company in the import of films to
Japan before the war. Mr. Kawakita, however, was purged from all public
positions and was banned to “take part in the production, import, etc. of
films or to make statements to the media.” This treatment was not limited
to Mr. Kawakita. Many film related professionals were purged from public
positions as they were said to have promoted militarism. Mr. Kawakita was
able to return to his public position in 1950, and Felicie Nanteuil (directed
by: Marc Allegret, starring: Micheline Presle) was screened on March 13,
1951 by Towa Eiga. Around the same time, Nippon Cinema Corporation
(NCC) run by a Japanese president was founded as a company to distribute
works by the British Film Institute (BFI), followed by many more film
importing companies run by the Japanese.
This is how the import of films came to be permitted. Yet, due to
the foreign exchange shortage and for the protection of the Japanese film
industry, the import restriction was still placed by the Ministry of Finance
and GHQ. This import restriction took the form of a “quota system,”
according to which the number of films imported to Japan needed to be
equal to the number of Japanese films screened in the cinemas. This system
was applied to the share of American, British and French films present
in Japan’s film market at the time. The quota allowed to each importing
company, was based on the average of the number of films it screened the
previous year and its distribution revenue.
This “quota system” was then switched to a currency quota, where
restriction was placed on the purchasing price, while bonus quota was given
to companies that imported excellent revenue-earning films. In addition,
quota was traded among film importing companies as the film industry
was in a boom, where any and all films screened became a hit. However,
criticism rose that this “quota system” protected the advantageous position
of American films that persisted from the Occupation. As a result, the
Ministry of Finance drastically changed the “quota system” in response to
the criticism by the opposition party at the regular Diet session in 1958.
The criticisms were aimed at the deterioration of actual import quota by
the distributor, thus the Foreign Film Distributors Association of Japan (in
1959, renamed to Foreign Film Importer-Distributors Association of Japan)
was established in 1958 as part of a course-changing measure. After 1960,
the import of films was decided to be liberalized under the condition that
the foreign exchange rate showed an upturn and that it would not oppress
the Japanese film industry even when the import quota was abolished.
3. 1950s Mark the Peak of the Japanese Film Industry
The Japanese film industry reached its peak in the 1950s. Five companies —
Shochiku, Toho, Daiei, Toei and Nikkatsu — screened two films per week
for 50 weeks a year. Furthermore, Shin Toho established as a result of the
Toho union dispute in 1947 also actively produced and distributed films.
The annual production of Japanese films exceeded 500 works, and all
studios were enjoying brisk business, while the films produced during this
time were also of very high quality. The works by Director Kurosawa Akira
of Toho and Director Ozu Yasujiro of Shochiku dominated the most ranks
of the Kinema Junpo [ Top Ten and also ranked high in terms of the boxoffice
revenue. With TV yet to come out to the market and the undeveloped
amusement facilities in the 1950s, film was the prime entertainment for the
people, thus any and all films became a hit once it was screened.
In the second half of the 1950s, the number of audience and cinemas
in Japan reached its peak.
[ First issued in 1919, Kinema Junpo is a publication which issues the most recent data
of film releases in Japan and represents one of the oldest publication of its kind.
8 9

Chapter 1
Japan’s Film Industry Postwar Japanese Film Industry and Development
Number of audience
¡1957 1.0989 billion people
¡1958 1.1275 billion people
¡1959 1.0881 billion people
¡1960 1.0144 billion people
Number of cinemas
¡1958 7,067 facilities
¡1959 7,400 facilities
¡1960 7,457 facilities
¡1961 7,231 facilities
From 1957 to 1960, the annual number of audience in Japan exceeded 1
billion people. It was still at a time when the Japanese population was less
than 100 million people, indicating that a person went to the cinemas more
than ten times a year. Furthermore, between 1958 and 1961, the number
of cinemas exceeded 7,000 facilities. There were two or three cinemas even
in a small town.
4. From 1960s Onwards — Japanese Film Industry in decline
With the Tokyo Olympic coming up in 1964, TV was rapidly making
its way to Japanese households. In contrast to the rise of TV, the film
industry was starting to mark a decline. The number of audience which
exceeded 1 billion people in 1960 plunged to 254.8 million people in 1970,
approximately 25% of that in 1960. Furthermore, there were 7,231 cinemas
in 1961, but the number dropped to 3,246 facilities in 1970. This downward
trend continued up until the mid-1990s. As for the number of cinemas,
1993 marked the worst in history at 1,734 facilities. Ironically, 1993 was
also the year the first multiplex in Japan, Warner Mycal Ebina was opened.
As for the number of audience, 1996 marked the worst in history at 119.6
million people.
5. Boom of Artistic Films and Mini-Theaters (Independent Art House Cinemas)
1) Establishment of Art Theater Guild (ATG)
The establishment of the Art Theater Guild, also known as ATG, in
November 1961 played a major role for Japanese artistic films. Proposed by
Ms. Kawakita Kashiko of Towa Eiga, supported by Mr. Mori Iwao of Toho
and with capital investment amounting to more than half of the total by
Toho, ATG was established to screen highly artistic and low profit films that
are usually cold-shouldered by commercial cinemas.
The first film ATG screened on April 20, 1962 was the Polish film
Mother Joanna of the Angels directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz which ranked
6th place in Kinema Junpo Top Ten (imported films). The following list
consists some of the films by ATG. They were screened at Nichigeki Bunka
which used to be in the underground floor of Nichigeki Theater and
Shinjuku Bunka in Shinjuku.
Imported Films:
Wild Strawberries (Smuktron-Stallet)
st [
1962 Ingmar Bergman 1
The Seventh Seal (Det Sjunde Inseglet)
th [
1963 Ingmar Bergman 6
Shoot the Piano Player (Tirez sur le pianiste)
th [
1963 Francois Truffaut 9
The Long Absence (Une aussi longue absence)
st [
1964 Henri Colpi 1
Last Year at Marienbad (L’Anné dernière á Marienbad)
rd [
1964 Alain Resnais 3
[ rank for Kinema Junpo Top Ten (imported films)
Works screened by ATG continued to rank in the Kinema Junpo Top Ten.
ATG also played a key role for Japanese films as well.
A Man Vanishes (Ningen johatsu) 1967 Imamura Shohei nd [ 2
Manual of Ninja Martial Arts (Ninja bugei-cho)
1967 Oshima Nagisa
The Human Bullet: Human Guinea Pigs (Nikudan)
th [ 10
nd [
1968 Okamoto Kihachi 2
Death by Hanging (Koshikei) 1968 Oshima Nagisa rd [ 3
Nanami: The Inferno of First Love (Hatsukoi: Jigoku-hen)
1968 Hani Susumu
Double Suicide (Shinju ten no Amijima)
th [ 6
st [
1969 Shinoda Masahiro 1
Boy (Shonen) 1969 Oshima Nagisa rd [ 3
[ rank for Kinema Junpo Top Ten (Japanese films)
2) Age of Mini-Theaters
In 1978, Conversation Piece (Gruppo di Famiglia in un Interno) (directed
by: Luchino Visconti, distributed by: Toho-Towa = Shibata Organization)
was screened at Iwanami Hall, and recorded a long-running hit. The
following year, in 1979, The Travelling Players (O Thiassos) (directed
by: Theo Angelopoulos, distributed by: Shibata Organization) was also
screened at Iwanami Hall and again marked a long-running hit. These two
10 11

Chapter 1
Japan’s Film Industry Postwar Japanese Film Industry and Development
consecutive years of artistic films winning the first place in the Kinema
Junpo Top Ten and the long-running hits at mini-theaters proved the
potential of artistic films bringing commercial successes. In 1981, Cinema
Square Tokyu with its screening films selected by Herald Ace was opened
in Shinjuku. Ever since, a number of mini-theaters including Cinema Rise,
Eurospace, Cine Vivant Roppongi, Chanter Cine, Cine Saison Shibuya,
Cine Switch Ginza, Ebisu Garden Cinema, Bunkamura Le Cinema and
Cine Amuse were opened in the 1980s.
This boom of independent cinemas simultaneously led to the
establishment of many small-scale film importing and distribution
companies. Traditionally, distribution is a very competitive business,
and difficult for small-scale distribution companies to enter. However,
distribution by small-scale companies to mini-theaters were made possible
as screening at these cinemas did not require big sum of money including
the purchasing price and advertisement cost. In the 1990s, the number
of screens at mini-theaters in Tokyo surpassed 40 and the number of
distributors became over 100.
In the first half of the 1980s, artistic films enjoyed commercial
successes as there were not many distribution companies geared toward
the mini-theaters, thus the purchasing price was kept low, and the number
of artistic films actually being screened was small. However, once hitting
the 1990s, the number of distribution companies multiplied and the
purchasing prices increased due to competition, resulting in chasing each
other out of business.
6. Video Rental Stores and V-Cinema
In the mid-1980s, video rental started to become widely available. In 1986,
the major video rental company Tsutaya was established. The number of
video rental stores including individually owned stores was said to total
10,000 stores across the country. This rise of video rental stores supported
the business of the distribution companies geared toward the mini-theaters
noted above, since the artistic films that were unsuccessful at the cinemas
became available for rental at the video rental stores. When the video rental
business started, major film companies considered video rental business
as a threat to their box-office revenue and were not too cooperative to the
business, thus the video rental stores had a lot of shelf space for the artistic
films.
This shortage of films at video rental stores led to the development of
a new genre of Japanese film — V-cinema. V-cinema works are those that
are not screened at cinemas, but instead are directly released on video at
video rental stores. Just like the mini-theaters leading to the establishment
of small-scale film importing companies, this boom of the V-cinema led
7. Multiplex Cinemas
to the development of video companies and small-scale film production
companies specializing in V-cinema works. New talents including Director
Miike Takashi were discovered from this circle. However, in the second half
of the 1990s V-cinema slowed down, and the trend shifted to Japanese film
production and distribution companies for screening at mini-theaters.
As noted above, the first multiplex in Japan was Warner Mycal in Ebina,
Kanagawa Prefecture in 1993. Ever since, multiplex market in Japan was
led by foreign affiliated companies such as AMC, UCI and Virgin Cinema.
In recent years, AMC and UCI merged which was then bought over by
Sumitomo Corporation, and is now United Cinema (UC). Virgin Cinema
was bought over by Toho and currently, Warner Mycal is the sole survivor
of the above mentioned companies.
Furthermore, film companies entered the multiplex market, as seen in
Shochiku working with SMT, Toei with T-Joy and Kadokawa Pictures with
Kadokawa Plex. As for promotion companies, Tokyu Recreation and other
companies are actively developing their business. It may be possible that
the foreign affiliated companies initially led the rising multiplex market in
Japan because Japanese film companies lacked confidence in the Japanese
market. As can be seen from 1996 marking the worst number of audience
in history, box-office revenue in Japan was facing its most difficult time
for the first time since the end of the war just around the time multiplexes
were first developed. It was thought that Japan would not be able to follow
the example of the United States as land rent, tenant fee and personnel cost
were high in Japan.
However, once multiplexes owned by foreign affiliated companies
showed a certain level of success, the Japanese film companies started
taking a more active approach. The number of multiplexes multiplied
as we entered the 21st century, reaching 3,360 facilities as of the end of
2008, accounting to 80% of all screens nationwide. This rapid emergence
of multiplexes triggered a drastic change in the film distribution structure
in Japan. In other words, efficient business management was made possible
by allocating many screens to popular films, while decreasing the showings
of unpopular films. As a result, successful works drew in even more
audience, while unsuccessful films lost the chance to draw in its audience.
This strategy drew a big, fat line between the winners and the losers, and
further enlarged the gap.
12 13

Chapter 1
Japan’s Film Industry Postwar Japanese Film Industry and Development
Total number of screens
year total no. of screens no. of multiplexes percentage
1997 1,884 157 8.3
1998 1,993 267 13.4
1999 2,221 760 34.2
2000 2,524 1,123 44.5
2001 2,585 1,259 48.7
2002 2,635 1,396 53.0
2003 2,681 1,533 57.2
2004 2,825 1,766 62.5
2005 2,926 1,954 66.8
2006 3,062 2,230 72.8
2007 3,221 2,454 76.2
2008 3,359 2,659 79.2
8. Increasing Number of Screens and Plateauing Number of Audience
As mentioned above, multiplex market showed a stunning development,
which gave a big boost to the number of audience from the worst year in
1996 with less than 120 million people to around 160 million. Japanese
cinemas were suffering a long period of decline. People had the impression
that the cinemas were unhygienic and the chairs were uncomfortable, but
multiplexes completely changed this image. Multiplexes drew back in the
elderly movie fans that went to the cinemas in the 1950s and 1960s, making
movies a more casual, everyday entertainment.
However, the number of audience has leveled out around 160 million
people for the past decade after it peaked at 170 million in 2004. In contrast,
the number of screens has increased from 1,993 screens in 1998 to 3,360,
marking approximately an increase of 1,370 screens. This means that the
box-office revenue per screen has dropped significantly. Nowadays, only a
set group of movie fans actually watch movies at cinemas, and is thought
that the pattern today is for the same people to watch several movies at
cinemas in a year. However, the current annual number of audience is too
small for the number of screens which continued to increase over the past
years. In case this situation persists, the movie business in Japan may face a
fateful crisis.
The cinemas are providing various services such as “senior discount”
targeting those aged over 60, “couple 50 discount” targeting couples
where either one of the couple is aged over 50. These services have proven
effective to a certain level, but have not triggered a big financial spark in
the business. The discounts are effective in encouraging people to come
watch movies at the cinemas again, but have not led to gaining a new batch
of movie-goers. In particular, the tendency of the younger generations
not going to cinemas have been pointed out, and to make these younger
generations get in the habit of watching movies at the cinemas has become
an important agenda. This issue cannot be solved by the cinemas alone. It is
an act of protecting the Japanese film culture, thus is an issue that the entire
film industry, municipalities and education related ministries and agencies
must tackle together.
9. TV Networks Entering the Film Industry
In 1998, Bayside Shakedown (Odoru daisosasen: THE MOVIE) produced by
Fuji Television Network recorded a distribution revenue of ¥5.3 billion and
was a big hit with the highest box-office revenue of the year. TV networks
have long been producing theatrical films, with its first work being Steel
Edge of Revenge (Goyokin) by Fuji Television Network in 1969. Since then,
TV networks have been producing many theatrical films such as Antarctica
(Nankyoku monogatari) (1983). The film industry was in control and films
were produced mainly by the film related people. However, the involvement
of TV networks drastically changed before and after Bayside Shakedown.
Because Bayside Shakedown was a film adaptation of the TV drama
series, it was produced mainly by the TV network. Ever since, many films
have been produced by the TV networks. Yet these works did not hold
much significance in the film industry. Then in 2002, the market share
of Japanese films took a nosedive to its worst level at 27%. Since 2003,
however, the market share of Japanese films gradually recovered, obtaining
33% in 2003, 37.5% in 2004, 41.3% in 2005 and 53.2% in 2006. In 2006,
the market share of Japanese films exceeded that of the imported films for
the first time in 21 years. One of the big factors for this recovery was none
other than those films the TV networks were involved in. It is said that TV
networks greatly contributed to the recovery of the Japanese flm industry
with their keen eyes for spotting what the audience is craving for and the
effective use and influence of information distributed on their broadcasting
networks.
Nowadays, the involvement of the TV networks has become an
essential factor to whether a film will become a hit or not. Yet this move
has not led to an increase in the overall number of audience. It was just
that the imported movie-goers simply switched over to Japanese films. The
involvement of the TV networks has become a critical factor when new
proposals are brought in to the film companies. As such, excessive influence
of the TV networks has become an obstacle to the healthy environment for
fair evaluation of the content of the proposal itself.
14 15

Chapter 1
Japan’s Film Industry Postwar Japanese Film Industry and Development
10. IT Companies Entering the Film Industry
The spread of the internet and mobile phones has led to the new
development and advancement of the IT companies. Film is now seen as
valuable content materials for online video streaming. The matured IT
companies have now entered the film industry, and as its result, many films
have been imported and Japanese films produced. The number of films
screened in a year which was 550 films in 1998 skyrocketed to over 800
films in 2006 and 2007. However, as seen in the increase of the number of
screens, the number of audience did not increase. Furthermore, the market
share of the major film companies did not change despite the increase
in the number of screened films. In other words, companies that newly
entered the market could not win any market share upon distribution and
screening of their films. In 2008, companies that newly entered the market
started to downsize or shutdown their film business.
11. The Japanese Film Bubble
— shift from imported films to Japanese films
Winning 53% of the market share in 2006, Japanese films recorded a drastic
recovery after its worst level of 27% in 2002. However despite this recovery
in the market share, the number of audience did not show much increase
during this period, meaning that the imported film fans just switched over
to Japanese films. In the past, imported film fans and Japanese film fans
were clearly divided, mainly because the cinemas for the imported films
and the Japanese films were separate.
With the rise of multiplexes, imported films and Japanese films started
to be screened in the same building, making the two easily available to the
audience. Furthermore, films produced by the TV networks were favored
by the younger viewers. Works mainly produced by the TV networks such
as Sea Monkey (Umizaru), Sky of Love (Koizora), Train Man (Densha
otoko) and BOYS OVER FLOWERS the movie (Hana yori dango final)
drew in large audience. Long-running hit imported movies were limited
to blockbuster films such as the Pirates of the Caribbean series, the Harry
Potter series and the Spider-Man series, and even Hollywood films are
suffering badly, especially those medium and low budget works.
As such, the booming Japanese films have given great damage
to imported films. In particular, Japanese importing and distribution
companies have been affected significantly. Major film importing and
distribution companies have left the business, and some of them have been
in a critical situation as imported films for mini-theaters cannot draw in the
younger audience. Companies have been cutting down on film purchasing
since few years back, but have finally run out of stocks. Therefore, the
number of imported films screened in 2008 finally undermined that of the
previous year by 40 films.
Film importing and distribution companies that were in a slump
started the production and distribution of Japanese films as they were
well accepted by the younger audience. As other industries also entered
the film industry around the same time, the production of Japanese films
multiplied at a magnificent rate, thus called the “bubble of the Japanese
film.” The number of Japanese films screened was only 287 works in 2003,
but increased to 417 works in 2006. However, the Japanese films that were
newly brought out on the market could hardly win any market share.
Small-scale film importing and distribution companies as well as Japanese
film production companies and distribution companies came to face a
fateful crisis.
Furthermore, the Japan branch offices of Hollywood started to engage
in local production and the production of Japanese films, as medium
and low budget Hollywood films were suffering badly. In 2006, Warner
Entertainment Japan recorded the box-office revenue of over ¥10 billion
with three films: Death Note, Death Note: The Last Name and Brave Story.
However, Accuracy of Death (Sweet Rain: Shinigami no seido), Sushi Prince!
(Sushi oji!), Ichi and 252: Signal of Life (252: Seizonsha ari) distributed in
2007 did not reach the expected revenue amount. In 2009, Sony Pictures
Digital and Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation will follow the
example of Warner and enter the local production market.
The film industry today, especially the small-scale film importing and
distribution companies, and Japanese film production companies are in
hot seats, while the sluggish secondary-use and video rental markets are
giving them an additional blow. In the past, low box-office revenue was
helped by the video rental, but nowadays polarization of hit films and
unsuccessful films have further advanced even in the video rental industry.
The works that suffered with box-office revenue are not out for rental at
video rental stores and, upon TV broadcast, the independent leaning works
are either negotiated for discount or simply not aired.
16 17

Chapter 1
Japan’s Film Industry Overview of the Japanese Box-office for Year 2008
Overview of the Japanese Box-office for Year 2008
1. Japanese Films Exceed Imported Films
By Kakeo Yoshio, Executive Director, Kinema Junpo Film Institute
1) Attendance
Although the Japanese film industry appears to be stable over the past
decade, with both attendance and box-office receipts hovering with only
slight ups or downs, it is actually entering difficult times as it can be seen in
the continuing decline of attendance per-screen.
In 2008, film attendance fell by 2.7 million in 2008, from 163.19
million in 2007 to 160.49 million, or a slight drop to 98.34%. Box-office
receipts also marked a similar small drop to 98.18%, falling by ¥3.607
billion from ¥198.443 billion to ¥194.836 billion.
Meanwhile, the number of screens increased by 138 from 3,221 in 2007
to 3,359 in 2008. Multiplex cinemas increased to 2,659 screens, accounting
for 79% of the total number of screens, up from 76% in 2007.
Per-screen audience declined by 2,886 from 50,665 in 2007 to 47,779
(94.30%), since attendance dropped while the number of screens increased.
Likewise, per-screen box-office takings fell ¥3,604,961 from ¥61,609,128 in
2007 to ¥58,004,167 in 2008 (94.14%).
2) Films released
In 2008, 418 Japanese films and 388 imported films were released totaling
806 films. This was a four-film-drop from 810 in 2007, among which 407
were Japanese and 403 were imported films. These numbers show also that
in 2008 box-office receipts of Japanese films exceeded those of imported
films by a large margin.
While in 2006, the share of Japanese films overtook that of imported
films for the first time in 21 years, the margin was still small at 53% for
Japanese films. In 2007, imported films recovered their share, albeit by
a small margin, at 52%. In 2008, however, Japanese films overwhelmed
imported films with a share of 59.46%.
Although this was a welcome development for the Japanese film
industry, a small decline in overall audience numbers showed that a large
number of the audience for imported films simply shifted to Japanese
films. In other words, it justified that the future market will not expand
unless both Japanese film and imported film attendance increases.
2. Further Polarization between Majors and Independents
1) Box-office draws
In 2006 when the share of Japanese films first overtook imported films,
three films produced locally by Warner Entertainment Japan earned more
than ¥10 billion in combined box-office takings. Likewise, both Asmik Ace
Entertainment and Cine Qua Non had three titles with box-office takings
of over ¥1 billion.
In 2008, however, there were only two films with box-office takings
of more than ¥1 billion released by non-big three makers—L change
the WorLd by Warner (¥3.1 billion) and Climber’s High by Toei=Gaga
Communications (¥1.18 billion).
The situation was the same for imported films, with the gap
widening between major producers and independents. Financially weak
independents find themselves in far more difficult conditions than major
producers in terms of both planning and development costs and selection
of plans.
In other words, most big box-office draws came from major producers,
with independents becoming less likely to come up with blockbuster hits.
Several intertwined factors are behind this development:
(1) Multiplex cinemas, which now account for 80% of the total
number of screens, are biased toward showing big-hit films;
(2) The dwindling secondary-use market makes it difficult to recover
production costs of Japanese films and purchase costs of imported
films, pushing financially fragile independents into dire straits;
(3) Tastes of audiences are changing: While older movie-goers enjoy
diversified film cultures, younger film fans tend to favor largebudget
Japanese films; and
(4) Planning abilities of independents are waning.
2) Major producers show growth
Major producers joined hands with TV networks to take advantage of
their strong information-transmitting capabilities to boost the visibility
of films they make and thus put on the market such blockbuster hits as
BOYS OVER FLOWERS the movie (Hana yori dango final) (¥7.75 billion/
TBS), Suspect X (Yogisha X no kenshin) (¥4.92 billion/Fuji Television) and
Partners: The Movie (Aibo —gekijoban—) (¥4.44 billion, TV Asahi). At
the same time, they broadened their scope to take up more serious themes,
including Departures (Okuribito) (¥3 billion/TBS), I’d Rather Be a Shellfish
(Watashi wa kai ni naritai) (2009/TBS) and Nobody to Watch over Me (Dare
mo mamotte kurenai) (2008/Fuji Television).
Another noteworthy development was the box-office draw of Detroit
18 19

Chapter 1
Japan’s Film Industry Overview of the Japanese Box-office for Year 2008
Metal City (¥2.34 billion), planned and produced by Toho without a tie-up
with TV networks.
3) UIP Japan folds
Among film industry news, United International Pictures (UIP) Japan
folded in 2007 and Paramount Pictures Japan was launched in January
2008. But this did not come as a big shock because Universal, the other
partner in UIP, had already become independent in 2007 and started
business by making a distribution arrangement with Toho-Towa.
Much bigger news was the purchase by Universal from major
advertising agency Dentsu of a majority stake in Geneon Entertainment
(former Pioneer LDC), which Dentsu had taken under its aegis.
In addition, the releases of 3D movies such as Beowulf and Journey to
Center of the Earth gave an anticipation of the advent of the era of 3D films
at any moment. The film industry has high expectations on 3D films as a
primer for drawing audiences to cinemas, hoping for an acceleration of
their spread.
2008 Distribution per company (Japanese Films, Imported Films)
company box office per year [share] no. of film releases [share]
Toho ¥73.9 billion [37.9%] 29 [3.6%]
Warner Brothers ¥16.4 billion [8.4%] 19 [2.4%]
Shochiku ¥16.1 billion [8.3%] 20 [2.5%]
Toho-Towa ¥14.1 billion [7.2%] 14 [1.7%]
Toei ¥11.9 billion [6.1%] 19 [2.4%]
Walt Disney ¥10.8 billion [5.6%] 6 [0.7%]
Paramount Pictures ¥8.2 billion [4.2%] 6 [0.7%]
20th Century Fox ¥7.9 billion [4.1%] 16 [2.0%]
Gaga Communications ¥7.8 billion [4.0%] 16 [2.0%]
Sony Pictures ¥6.8 billion [3.5%] 18 [2.2%]
Asmik Ace ¥6.0 billion [3.1%] 10 [1.3%]
Kadokawa Pictures ¥3.6 billion [1.8%] 18 [2.2%]
Others ¥11.3 billion [5.8%] 615 [76.3%]
total ¥194.8 billion [100%] 806 [100%]
3. Box-office of Japanese Films
Source: Kinema Junpo Film Institute
1) Substantial increase
In 2008, Japanese films chalked up box-office takings of ¥115.859 billion,
surpassing the 2007 takings of ¥94.645 billion by a large margin of ¥21.215
billion. The number of films released in 2008 came to 418, slightly up 11 from
407 in 2007. There were a total of 28 films that earned more than ¥1 billion
with Toho providing 21 of them, demonstrating its overwhelming
distribution power. Box-office takings of ¥15.55 billion achieved by Ponyo
on the Cliff by the Sea (Gake no ue no Ponyo), an animation film by Director
Miyazaki Hayao were within the expectations, but still impressive. Also,
box-office takings of ¥7.75 billion for BOYS OVER FLOWERS the movie
and ¥4.92 billion for Suspect X were far larger than expected.
2) Major hits
Among films locally produced by Warner, which drew a great deal of
attention in 2006, L change the WorLd was a big success with box-office
takings of ¥3.1 billion, but Accuracy of Death (Sweet Rain Shinigami no
seido) (¥503 million), ICHI (¥445 million) and Sushi Prince Goes to N.Y.
(Ginmakuban Sushi oji! New York e iku) (¥365 million) turned in poor
performances.
Partners: The Movie (¥4.44 billion) was a film adaptation of the
popular TV drama broadcasted by TV Asahi and was well expected to
become a hit, but it marked not so much success.
Shochiku’s Departures (¥3 billion), which won Kinema Junpo’s Best
One award and Best Director award (Takita Yojiro) as well as the Academy
Award for Best Foreign Language Film, is also a film that deserves high
recognition. Addressing the themes of human death and the relationship
between the deceased and bereaved families, a story about how a young
couple become closer with strong bonds through the profession of
encoffineers and cast aside disdain for the vocation of preparing deceased
bodies for funeral services depicts the universal drama of human life and
deep personal characterization of the central character in a well-balanced
manner, which led to wide acceptance overseas. The fact that a TV network
participated in the planning of such a serious theme is of no small
significance, and it is expected that the success of this film would help lead
to more ambitious film ideas.
3) Independent productions wane
Diversely from major productions, the films produced by independents are
put in a poor commercial performance.
The combined box-office takings for the three major producers of
Toho, Shochiku and Toei came to some ¥97.29 billion accounting 83.9%
of total for Japanese films. The number of films distributed by the three
companies was 74, just 17.7% of the total number of 418 Japanese films
released.
This means that the remaining 344 films (82.3% of the total) shared
box-office takings of ¥18.569 billion (16% of the total).
20 21

Chapter 1
Japan’s Film Industry Overview of the Japanese Box-office for Year 2008
4) Releases increase
While the number of imported film releases in 2008 declined, the number
of Japanese film releases increased. The number of imported film releases
as a downtrend began in 2003. The inventory of imported films purchased
earlier kept the releases of imported films from declining sharply before
2008.
Meanwhile, the releases of Japanese films increased in 2008 as a result
of new entrants to the film industry from other sectors and those who
shifted from the importation/distribution of imported films to production
of Japanese films kept on making films until around the middle of 2007.
When Japanese films produced by new entrants proved to be unsuccessful, it
was not until the summer of 2008 that they began curbing new filmmaking.
The films already under production were completed and released, pushing
up the total number of new releases in 2008. The number of releases of
Japanese films is expected to start falling around the latter half of 2009.
5) Hit indies
Among independent films released in 2008, The Handsome Suit (¥860
million) and Best Wishes for Tomorrow (Ashita e no yuigon) (¥600 million)
by Asmik Ace Entertainment fared well. The Witch of the West Is Dead
(Nishi no majo ga shinda) (¥450 million) and Gu Gu, the Cat (Gu Gu datte
neko de aru) (¥360 million) showed a relatively strong showing as well.
Also noticeable was After School (¥550 million) by The Klockworx,
which showed its presence felt again following Evangelion:1.0 You Are (Not)
Alone (Evangelion shin gekijoban: jo) (¥2 billion), a blockbuster hit in
2007.
Kadokawa Pictures had only one film with box-office takings of ¥300
million or more, Sergeant Keroro The Super Duper Movie 3 — Keroro vs
Keroro The Battle of the Sky — (Cho gekijoban Keroro gunso 3: Keroro vs.
Keroro Tenku daikessen de arimasu!). Expectations are high for inspiring
activity by Kadokawa, a company with a long history of filmmaking.
4. Box-office of Imported Films
1) Sharp drop
In 2008, box-office of imported films fell sharply by ¥24.821 billion from
¥103.798 billion in 2007 to ¥78.977 billion (or 76.08%). The number of
imported films released also fell 15 from 403 in 2007 to 388. Per-film boxoffice
fell sharply to ¥203.54 million from ¥257.56 in 2007.
While films with box-office of over ¥1 billion numbered 25, only three
less than the corresponding number of Japanese films, there were no real
blockbuster hits.
The top performer among imported films in 2008 was Indiana Jones
and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull with box-office takings of ¥5.71
billion.
2) Audiences
The poor performance of imported films stemmed mainly from the
decline in imported film attendance among younger generations. Serialized
movies like Indiana Jones may encourage generations who have seen old
films to view new ones as well, but are unlikely to win the favor of younger
generations.
Furthermore, imported films that proved to be blockbuster hits in
the rest of the world failed to draw such large audiences in Japan. Such
films as Wanted (¥2.5 billion), Kung Fu Panda (¥2 billion) and The Dark
Knight (¥1.6 billion) drew over four million movie-goers in South Korea,
which has cultural similarities. In Japan, however, these titles were hits with
box-office takings of around ¥5 billion. Even Hollywood movies, middlebudget
or smaller films were generally shown at so-called B Road theaters
(second-tier chains) just like throwaway matches.
Among them, Red Cliff Part 1 (¥5.05 billion) stood out. Many industry
people anticipated a certain measure of success of this film, but never
expected a performance of this magnitude. In particular, not a few people
voiced worries over Avex Marketing, which took an equity stake in the joint
production project with China, an endeavor with very few successful cases
before. It is hoped that the success of this film will help accelerate the trend
toward international joint production activity. For Toho-Towa, which
distributed Red Cliff Part 1, it represented a real breakthrough not seen for
a long time even including Universal films.
3) Stellar showing
Another independent large-budget film, The Golden Compass turned in a
stellar showing with box-office takings of ¥3.75 billion, but the number was
not necessarily satisfactory. Purchasing big-budget films like this would put
independent distributors at big risk, despite large profits expected if they
prove to be major hits.
However, Gaga Communications turned a documentary film Earth
Planet (¥2.4 billion) into a blockbuster, and also saved its face as a major
film importer/distributor with Sex and the City ¥1.7 billion, John Rambo
(¥1 billion) and 3D film Journey to the Center of the Earth (¥850 million).
Among middle-budget films released by independents, My Blueberry
Nights directed by Wong Kar-Wai and released by Asmik Ace Entertainment
was one of strong performers with box-office takings of ¥550 million. Asmik
Ace Entertainment was able to chalk up this number by releasing a Wong
Kar-Wai film, normally released at single cinemas with the focus on artistic
features, through middle-size cinema chains. But a simple expansion of the
22 23

Chapter 1
Japan’s Film Industry Major Distributors
cinema release will not ensure success for every Wong Kar-Wai film. In the
case of My Blueberry Nights, its promotion as a not-too-artistic love story
featuring Norah Jones and Jude Law worked well.
Box-office takings for such films as Nim’s Island (¥462 million) by
Kadokawa Pictures, Next (¥450 million) by Gaga Communications and The
Fixer (¥400 million) by Movie-Eye Entertainment provided evidence that
the imported film business has become difficult in Japan given purchase
and P&A costs.
4) Mini-theater releases
Imported films shown mainly at mini-theaters are finding themselves in
an even more difficult situation. In particular, the poor performance of
secondary use has made this business hard to sustain. The Oscar-winning
No Country for Old Men (Paramount=Showgate, ¥340 million) and
Director Ang Lee’s Lust, Caution (Wise Policy), winner of the Golden Lion
award at the Venice International Film Festival, failed to reach ¥500 million
in box-office takings despite being the subject of pre-release buzz.
With the form of single-cinema long-running showing gone, most
of mini-theater films cease to be shown after about four weeks following
the releases at cinemas with around three screens. As a result, importers/
distributors began to withhold the purchases of single-cinema artistic
films, even foreshadowing an era when such cinemas will face a shortage of
films to show.
Major Distributors
¢ Toho Co., Ltd.
In 2008, Toho raked in annual box-office takings of ¥73,914.59 million,
setting a new record far exceeding ¥59,510.67 million in 2007. The amount
accounted for as much as 63.79% of the total box-office takings of ¥115.859
billion for Japanese films as a whole. Combining this with box-office
takings of ¥14,118.85 million (including Universal films) for its subsidiary,
Toho-Towa, the total comes to ¥88,033.44 million, taking up 45.18% of the
aggregate box-office takings of ¥194.836 billion for Japanese and imported
films combined.
Naturally, Toho retained the top slot in the film industry in terms of
box-office takings in 2008. Among the total of 29 films released by Toho, 11
films had box-office takings of at least ¥2 billion and another ten films made
at least ¥1 billion, with such titles as Smile—Holy Night of Miracles (Smile:
Seiya no kiseki), Gachi Boy, My Darling of the Mountains—Tokuichi in Love
(Yama no anata Tokuichi no koi), and The Homeless Student (Homeless
chugakusei) failing to make the rankings of ¥300 million or more.
title box office
Japanese film 1 Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea ¥15.00 billion
2 BOYS OVER FLOWERS the movie ¥7.70 billion
3 Suspect X ¥4.90 billion
4 Pokémon GIRATINA & THE SKY WARRIOR ¥4.80 billion
5 The Magic Hour ¥3.90 billion
6 20th Century Boys—Chapter 1— ¥3.90 billion
7 Doraemon Nobita to midori no kyojinden ¥3.37 billion
8 A Tale of Mari and Three Puppies ¥3.10 billion
9 Detective Conan: Full Score of Fear ¥2.42 billion
10 PACO and the Magical Book ¥2.36 billion
11 Detroit Metal City ¥2.34 billion
12 FLOWERS IN THE SHADOWS ¥1.95 billion
13 The Black Swindler ¥1.72 billion
14 The Glorious Team Batista ¥1.56 billion
15 Shaolin Girl ¥1.51 billion
16 Happy Flight ¥1.33 billion
17 Crayon Shin-chan: Cho arashi o yobu kinpoko no yushya ¥1.23 billion
18 Naruto the Movie: Shippuden kizuna ¥1.16 billion
19 Sanjuro ¥1.15 billion
20 Season of Snow ¥1.04 billion
21 Sand Chronicles ¥1.00 billion
22 HIDDEN FORTRESS: The Last Princess ¥0.93 billion
24 25

Chapter 1
Japan’s Film Industry Major Distributors
23 Bleach the Movie the Diamond Dust Rebellion Another Hyorinmaru
¥0.80 billion
24 IKIGAMI:The Ultimate Limit ¥0.80 billion
25 Tamagocchi: Happiest Story in the Universe! ¥0.78 billion
26 The Homeless Student
Others Smile
Wrestling with a Memory
¥0.68 billion
My Darling of the Mountains—Tokuichi in Love— less than ¥0.30 billion
total ¥73.90 billion
Source: Kinema Junpo Film Institute
¢ Shochiku Co., Ltd.
In 2008, Shochiku released 16 Japanese films and four imported films
(including jointly distributed films) for a total of 20 films, earning
¥16,015.18 million all together. The box-office takings exceeded the
¥15,670.92 million of 2007 by a small margin of 2.2%. There were just
two films that earned more than ¥1 billion, 10 Promises to My Dog (Inu to
watashi no 10 no yakusoku) (¥1.52 billion) and Kitaro and the Millennium
Curse (Gegege no Kitaro sennen noroiuta) (¥2.34 billion).
One of imported films it distributed, The Golden Compass, chalked
up ¥3.75 billion. Without the hit of this movie, Shochiku could have gone
below the 2007 box-office takings. Yet, this was not necessarily satisfactory
for the company, as it had aimed for results closer to the The Lord of the
Rings series, a blockbuster hit with takings in excess of ¥10 billion.
Shochiku tried to scale down the number of new releases from 2007
because their operational efficiency would improve if major hits emerged
from a smaller number of quality films. Though waste was probably cut
back, no blockbusters like The Lord of the Rings emerged.
Nevertheless, Departures, released in the latter half of the year, raked in
more than ¥3 billion, and the film remained popular even after the turn of
the year following its nomination for the Academy Award for Best Foreign
Language Film. Into 2009, the film swept Japanese film awards, including
the Kinema Junpo Best One and the Japan Academy Award for Best Picture.
In the United States it won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language
Film. Following the sweep of these awards, the showing of Departures was
expanded to close to 200 screens, with its total box-office takings of ¥5
billion which ultimately surpassed Shochiku’s previous all-time high of
¥4.11 billion for Love and Honor (Bushi no ichibun) . Furthermore, Red
Thread (Akai ito), jointly produced with Fuji Television, turned in an
excellent performance with over ¥1 billion.
title box office
Japanese film 1 Departures ¥3.00 billion
2 Our Mother ¥2.10 billion
3 10 Promises to My Dog ¥1.50 billion
4 Kitaro and the Millennium Curse ¥1.40 billion
5 Great Decisive Battle! The Super 8 Ultra Brothers ¥0.83 billion
6 Midnight Eagle ¥0.77 billion
7 Free & Easy 19 ¥0.34 billion
8 The Taste of Fish ¥0.33 billion
Others Togitatsu no utare: Noda Version
Kekkon shiyo yo
FURU AMERICA NI SODE WA NURASAJI
Panda Diary
CHEER CHEER CHEER!
THE TALE OF BUNSHICHI
The Cherry Orchard—Blossoming
Mr. Tadano’s Secret Mission—From Japan with Love
Akai ito
Tomica Hero Rescue Force The Movie
Bakuso! Tomica Hero Grand Prix
Tomica Hero Rescue Force Bakuretsu Movie—Mach Train o Rescue seyo
RAKUDA
RENJISHI less than ¥0.30 billion
Imported films 1 The Golden Compass ¥3.70 billion
2 The Forbidden Kingdom ¥0.71 billion
Others Closing the Ring
A Chorus Line less than ¥0.30 billion
total ¥16.00 billion
Source: Kinema Junpo Film Institute
¢ Toei Co., Ltd.
In 2008, Toei distributed a total of 19 films — 11 films through blockbookings
and eight films through Toei and other free bookings, earning
box-office takings of ¥11,975.61 million, a sharp increase of 40.5% over
¥8,524.44 million in 2007. The largest contributor by far was Partners: The
Movie, which raked in ¥4.44 billion. The only other film that went over ¥1
billion in box-office takings was Climber’s High (¥1.18 billion). Although
such regularly popular films as The Masked Rider (Kamen Rider) series
steadily performed as expected, the performance of Where the Legend Lives
(Maboroshi no Yamataikoku) and Chacha: Tengai no onnna were subdued
with ¥950 million and ¥330 million, respectively.
26 27

Chapter 1
Japan’s Film Industry Major Distributors
28
title box office
Japanese film 1 Partners: The Movie ¥4.44 billion
2 Climber’s High ¥1.18 billion
3 Where the Legend Lives ¥0.95 billion
4 ONE PIECE THE MOVIE: Episode of Chopper
+The Miracle Winter Cherry Blossom ¥0.91 billion
5 MASKED RIDER KIVA THE MOVIE/GO-ONGERS THE MOVIE ¥0.90 billion
6 YES! PRETTY CURE 5 GO GO! THE MOVIE
—Happy Birthday in Candy Land/others ¥0.79 billion
7 Haru no Kamen rider matsuri ¥0.73 billion
8 Masked Rider Den—O: Final Countdown ¥0.72 billion
9 Chacha: Tengai no onna ¥0.45 billion
10 KIDS ¥0.33 billion
Others Johnen—Sada no Ai
Haru yo koi
Chameleon
Flying Rabbits
Orochi—Blood—
Dear My Cosmo
Flavor of Happiness
Love Fight
Kitaro—20th Anniversary TV Animation less than ¥0.30 billion
total ¥11.90 billion
Source: Kinema Junpo Film Institute
¢ Kadokawa Pictures Inc.
Though Kadokawa is a member of the Motion Picture Producers
Association of Japan (EIREN) along with Toho, Shochiku and Toei, it
continued to struggle mainly because it does not operate an expanded
network of cinemas. During 2008, Kadokawa released eight Japanese and
ten imported films for a total of 18 films, with combined box-office takings
of ¥3,611.33 million. Though the 2008 figure was up to 143% of ¥2,525.02
million for 2007, there remains a wide gap between the company and the
Big Three of Toho, Shochiku and Toei. Yet the expectations remain high for
2009 and onward, with a lineup of such films as Forever Enthralled, Zen and
Penguins in the Sky—Asahiyama Zoo (Asahiyama dobutsuen), and a large
budget production, A Sun That Never Sets (Shizumanu taiyo) also getting
under way.
title box office
Japanese film 1 Sergeant Keroro The Super Duper Movie 3
—Keroro vs Keroro The Battle of the Sky— ¥0.56 billion
Others Kung Fu Kid
DIVE!!
SAMURAI GANGSTERS
Scenery to Remember
Je t’aime watashi wa kemono
Rashomon—Digital Full Version
Rescue Wings less than ¥0.30 billion
Imported films 1 Eagle Eye ¥1.20 billion
2 Nim’s Island ¥0.46 billion
3 Mr. Magoriem’s Wonder Emporium ¥0.34 billion
Others Black House
Things We Lost in the Fire
May 18
One Missed Call
Kung Fu Dunk
Guantanamero less than ¥0.30 billion
total ¥3.61 billion
Source: Kinema Junpo Film Institute
¢ Toho-Towa Co., Ltd.
In 2008, Toho-Towa’s annual box-office takings amounted to ¥14,118.85
million, a sharp increase to 228.7% of ¥6,173.44 million for 2007. The big
leap stemmed chiefly from the commissioned distribution of Universal
Pictures, including Wanted (¥2.5 billion), The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon
Emperor (¥2.2 billion) and American Gangster (¥1.05 billion).
On top of this came Red Cliff Part 1 (¥5.05 billion), jointly distributed
with Avex Entertainment. The film is a movie adaptation of China’s
“Three Kingdom Saga,” which still enjoys the deep-rooted popularity in
Japan. Although initially there was concern that the naming of “Red Cliff”
does not immediately remind movie fans of “Three Kingdom Saga,” the
film cast aside such concern and earned more than ¥5 billion. Toho-
Towa demonstrated its prowess with this box-office figure by restraining
purchases on its own amid the continuing difficult environment for
imported films in the film market.
29

Chapter 1
Japan’s Film Industry Major Distributors
title box office
Imported films 1 Red Cliff Part 1 ¥5.05 billion
2 Wanted ¥2.50 billion
3 The Mummy—Tomb of the Dragon Emperor ¥2.20 billion
4 American Gangster ¥1.05 billion
5 August Rush ¥0.75 billion
6 Elizabeth: The Golden Age ¥0.65 billion
7 Charlie Wilson’s War ¥0.46 billion
8 Mr. Bean’s Holiday ¥0.45 billion
Others Atonement
Leatherheads
Death Race
Forgetting Sarah Marshall less than ¥0.30 billion
total ¥14.10 billion
Source: Kinema Junpo Film Institute
¢ Gaga Communications, Inc.
In 2008, Gaga Communications earned ¥7,753.48 million excluding The
Golden Compass jointly distributed with Shochiku and Climber’s High
jointly distributed with Toei, reaching 155% of their ¥5,014.30 million in
2007.
However, its attempt to realize a major synergy effect with Gyao by
joining the USEN Group in December 2004 did not move forward as it
had expected, and Gaga Communications at last in April 2008 announced
its policy to withdraw from the film purchase business and equity
participation in filmmaking. At the same time, USEN Corp. President Uno
Yasuhide established “U’s Film” with his personal funds to take over Gaga
Communications’ film business.
Despite the commotion regarding the company’s future direction,
the fact that it successfully distributed a documentary film, Earth Planet,
with box-office takings of ¥2.4 billion, should be noted for its meticulous
promotion expected only from an independent film distribution. Gaga
Communications also saved its own face by bringing in over ¥1 billion
from John Rambo.
Among Japanese films it distributed, Cyborg, She (Boku no kanojo
wa cyborg) showed a relatively strong performance with revenues of ¥700
million, although 700 Days of Battle: Us vs. the Police (Bokutachi to chuzaisan
no 700 nichi senso) and Snakes and Earrings (Hebi ni piasu) failed to
turn in satisfactory performance.
title box office
Japanese film 1 Cyborg, She ¥0.70 billion
Others 700 Days of Battle: Us vs. the Police
Snakes and Earrings less than ¥0.30 billion
Imported films 1 Earth ¥2.40 billion
2 Sex and the City ¥1.70 billion
3 Rambo ¥1.00 billion
4 Journey to the Center of the Earth ¥0.85 billion
5 Next ¥0.45 billion
Others Mister Lonely
Annie Leibovitz—Life Through a Lens
Ninja Cheerleaders
Goodbye Bafana
Hot Fuzz
Semi-pro
Love in the Time of Cholera less than ¥0.30 billion
total ¥7.80 billion
Source: Kinema Junpo Film Institute
¢ Asmik Ace Entertainment, Inc.
In 2008, Asmik Ace Entertainment raked in ¥6,029.45 million in annual
box-office takings, raising them to 113% of their ¥5,327.29 million for 2007.
Asmik Ace released seven films independently, two films with Kadokawa
Entertainment and another film with Astaire, for a total of 10 films for the
year, down one from 2007. The commissioned distribution of Dreamworks
films, which Gaga Communications started in 2005, ended with Kung Fu
Panda released in the summer.
Going forward, Dreamworks live-action films will be distributed
by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Japan and animation films by
Paramount. The much-anticipated Kung Fu Panda fared well with boxoffice
takings of ¥2 billion, but still failed to reach its target, considering
that in Korea, the film drew over four million movie-goers (the audience
numbers translated into over ¥5 billion at the average admission fee in
Japan).
Silk, a film jointly produced with Italian and Canadian companies,
earned ¥280 million. My Blueberry Nights directed by Wong Kar-Wai
earned ¥550 million through the expanded showing. The Diving Bell and
the Butterfly (Le scaphandre et le papil), released at Cinema Rise, turned in
a steady performance with box-office takings of ¥170 million.
Among Japanese films, Best Wishes for Tomorrow earned ¥600 million,
followed by firm results for The Witch of the West Is Dead with ¥450 million
and Gu Gu, the Cat with ¥260 million.
30 31

Chapter 1
Japan’s Film Industry Major Distributors
title box office
Japanese film 1 The Handsome Suit ¥0.86 billion
2 Best Wishes for Tomorrow ¥0.60 billion
3 The Witch of the West Is Dead ¥0.45 billion
Others Tokyo Only Pictures 2008 (highlights)
Gu Gu, the Cat
Mahou no iRando—teddy bear
Mahou no iRando—Osana Najimi less than ¥0.30 billion
Imported films 1 Kung Fu Panda ¥2.00 billion
2 My Blueberry Nights ¥0.55 billion
Others Silk
Bee Movie
Revolver
Saw 5
JCVD less than ¥0.30 billion
total ¥6.00 billion
Source: Kinema Junpo Film Institute
¢ Sony Pictures Entertainment (Japan) Inc. (SPE)
In 2008, Sony Pictures distributed a total of 18 films with annual box-office
takings of ¥6,839.83 million, a severe fall to only 42.0% of their ¥16.37
billion in 2007. Sony Pictures earned ¥14.63 billion in 2006 to set a new
record for its box-office takings in Japan, and renewed the record in the
following 2007.
Computer graphics animation film Surf’s Up raked in ¥330 million,
a far cry from Happy Feet (¥1.45 billion), attesting to the difficulty in
marketing American-made animation films in Japan. The ensuing The
Water Horse (¥220 million), Vantage Point (¥850 million) and 21 (¥450
million) did not fare well either.
In 2008, Sony Pictures also successively released American comicsbased
films and CG action hero series, including The Incredible Hulk,
Iron Man and Hancock. Though Hancock turned in a good performance
with box-office takings of ¥3.1 billion, The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man
failed to reach the company’s targets, with ¥190 million and ¥940 million,
respectively. The showing of Ano sora o oboeteru, a Japanese film Sony
Pictures distributed, also proved to be a low-profile screening.
title box office
Imported films 1 Hancock ¥3.10 billion
2 Iron Man ¥0.94 billion
3 Vantage Point ¥0.85 billion
4 21 ¥0.45 billion
5 Surf’s Up ¥0.33 billion
Others Reign over Me
The Water Horse-Legend of the Deep
The Jane Austen Book Club
Untraceable
Good Luck Chuck
Blue Blue Blue
CJ7
Starship Troopers 3
The Incredible Hulk
Pistol Whipped
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
Zombie Strippers less than ¥0.30 billion
Japanese film Ano sora o oboeteru less than ¥0.30 billion
total ¥6.83 billion
Source: Kinema Junpo Film Institute
¢ Warner Entertainment Japan Inc.
In 2008, Warner Brothers released a total of 19 films (13 imported films
and six Japanese films), with annual box-office takings of ¥16,392.13
million, an unexpectedly poor showing with only 63.1% of their ¥25.98
billion in 2007. Since the dependence on imported films supplied from the
home country alone would make the Japanese branch office’s management
unstable, Warner Brothers first went into the purchase and local acquisition
businesses on its own, with strong results of films such as HERO (2003/¥5
billion), LOVERS (2004/ ¥2,3 billion) and Windstruck (2005/¥2 billion).
The company then embarked on local production operations by the
Japanese branch office, turning in an impressive performance with Death
Note (2006/ ¥2.85 billion) and L Change the WorLd (2008/ ¥3.1 billion).
As for imported films supplied from the home country, I Am Legend
made a great start with revenues of ¥4.31 billion, whereas The Dark Knight
was rather a disappointment with only ¥1.6 billion.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street starring Jonny Depp
(¥2.05 billion) firmly stayed over ¥2 billion, while The Bucket List (¥1.35
billion) also fared strongly by drawing viewers in older age brackets,
together with 10,000 BC (¥1.005 billion). Despite high expectations, Speed
Racer was a poor performer with revenues of only ¥400 million.
Among locally produced films, L change the WorLd was a big hit
with box-office takings of ¥3.1 billion, but other Japanese films fell short
of expectations, including Accuracy of Death (¥503 million), ICHI (¥445
million) and Sushi Prince Goes to N.Y. (¥365 million).
32 33

Chapter 1
Japan’s Film Industry Major Distributors
title box office
Imported films 1 I Am Legend ¥4.30 billion
2 Sweeney Todd—The Demon Barber of Fleet Street ¥5.10 billion
3 The Dark Knight ¥3.20 billion
4 The Bucket List ¥1.35 billion
5 10,000 BC ¥1.00 billion
6 Beowulf ¥0.82 billion
7 Nights in Rodanthe ¥0.44 billion
8 Speed Racer ¥0.40 billion
Others Curse of the Golden Flower
Fool’s Gold, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Get Smart
Body of Lies less than ¥0.30 billion
Japanese film L’change the WorLd ¥0.31 billion
Accuracy of Death ¥0.50 billion
ICHI ¥0.44 billion
Sushi Prince Goes to N.Y. ¥0.36 billion
total ¥16.40 billion
Source: Kinema Junpo Film Institute
¢ Twentieth Century Fox (Far East), Inc. (FOX)
In 2008, FOX distributed a total of 16 films for annual box-office takings of
¥7.87 billion, with a sharp fall to only 70.2% of their ¥11.21 billion in 2007.
Three films released at the end of 2007 as winter holiday films all registered
revenues of over ¥1 billion: AVPR: Aliens vs Predator—Requiem (¥1.068
billion), Jumper (¥1.74 billion) and The Happening (¥1.226 billion).
However, Lions for Lambs by Director Robert Redford earned only
¥615 million, although the film featured big stars such as Redford, Tom
Cruise and Meryl Streep, and What Happens in Vegas starring Cameron
Diaz did not do well either with revenues of only ¥609 million, providing
further evidence of Japanese movie-goers’ growing estrangement from
imported films.
title box office
Imported Films 1 Jumper ¥1.74 billion
2 The Happening ¥1.22 billion
3 AVPR: Aliens vs Predator—Requiem ¥1.06 billion
4 Lions for Lambs ¥0.61 billion
5 What Happens in Vegas ¥0.60 billion
6 27 Dresses ¥0.37 billion
Others 28 Weeks Later
Daywatch
The Darjeeling Limited
Juno
Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who
Shutter
X-Files: I Want to Believe
The Day the Earth Stood Still less than ¥0.30 billion
total ¥7.90 billion
Source: Kinema Junpo Film Institute
¢ Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Japan
In 2008, Walt Disney released six films for annual box-office takings of
¥10.8446 billion, a disastrous outcome of only 56.3% of their ¥19.27 billion
for 2007. However, considering the number of films released during the
year, the results can be described as stable.
Revenues of ¥2.575 billion from National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets
was higher than ¥2.06 billion for National Treasure, the previous film in the
series. Enchanted was a mega-hit with revenues of ¥2.91 billion, strongly
attracting female viewers amid the oft-repeated estrangement from
imported films among Japanese movie fans.
Furthermore, There Will Be Blood released through mini-theater
chains, was not bad either, but The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
raked in only ¥3 billion. Given that box-office takings of the previous
film in the series, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe, were as high as ¥6.88 billion, the decline in revenue from the
latest film was particularly severe.
A CG animation film WALL·E earned ¥3.9 billion. Walt Disney’s plans
to make all Disney animation films as 3D films are likely to give a significant
impact on the digitization of cinemas in Japan.
title box office
Imported Films 1 The Chronicles of Narnia—Prince Caspian ¥3.00 billion
2 Enchanted ¥2.90 billion
3 National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets ¥2.57 billion
4 Meet the Robinsons ¥0.93 billion
Others There Will Be Blood
Wild Hogs less than ¥0.30 billion
total ¥10.80 billion
Source: Kinema Junpo Film Institute
34 35

Chapter 1
Japan’s Film Industry Statistics 2008
¢ Paramount Pictures Japan
Paramount Pictures Japan is an entity that came into being in the wake of
the disbandment of UIP. In 2008, Paramount Pictures released six films for
total box-office takings of ¥8,176.14 million.
The commemorative first film, Cloverfield, was reminiscent of The
Blair Witch Project by its shooting with a handheld camera in the fashion of
an independent producer. The film earned ¥1.2 billion with the success of
its attention-grabbing advertising message aimed at the younger audience
that they would risk feeling dizzy by viewing the film.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull released in June won
the title of the top earner among imported films, with box-office takings of
¥5.71 billion, though it failed to reach the ¥10 billion target. Among films
released through mini-theater chains, the Oscar-winning No Country for
Old Men by the Coen Brothers (jointly distributed with Showgate) raked
in ¥340 million, an all-time high for a film by the Coen Brothers.
Another noteworthy development with Paramount Pictures is its
decision to start the distribution of films by Dreamworks Pictures in Japan
in 2009.
title box office
Imported Films 1 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ¥5.71 billion
2 Cloverfield ¥1.20 billion
3 The Spiderwick Chronicles ¥1.30 billion
4 No Country for Old Men ¥0.34 billion
Others Angus
Thongs & Perfect Snogging
Tropic Thunder less than ¥0.30 billion
total ¥8.20 billion
Source: Kinema Junpo Film Institute
Statistics 2008
Number of films released Total
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
36 37
800
600
400
200
0
100
697
467
617
377
590
553
352 302
230 240 238 251
Cinema admissions
million
200
150
138.330
50
0
610 598 611
321 320 333
289 278 278
125.600 130.720 122.990 127.040 119.575
555 568
306
298
644
630 640
622
362 349 347 335
649
339
249 270 282 281 293 287 310
153.102
140.719
144.762
135.390
731
375
356
Imported
films
Japanese films
821 810 806
404 403 388
417 407 418
Source: Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, Inc.
163.280 160.767162.347 170.092
160.453 164.277163.193 160.491
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Source: Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, Inc.

Chapter 1
Japan’s Film Industry Statistics 2008
Average admission fee
yen
1,300
1,200
1,100
1,000
0
1,181 1,210
1,252
1,259 1,264 1,263 1,262
1,249 1,243 1,245
1,252
1,240 1,235
1,226
1,233
1,224
1,216 1,214
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Number of screens
Box office receipts Market share of imported films
million yen
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
0
163,378 163,700
152,000 153,590 157,865
148,870
177,197
193,499
182,835
170,862
200,154 203,259
196,780
210,914
202,553
198,160 198443 ,
194,836
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
38 39
3,000
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
2000
Total
Screens showing both
Screens showing imported films
Screens showing Japanese films
2,825
2,524
2,585 2,635 2,681
2,926
3,359
3,221
3,062
2,221
1,191
507 487 783 919
1,567 1,723 1,839 1,993
1,804
1,744 1,734 1,758 1,776
1,828
1,884
1,992 2,225 2,407 2,710
2,915 3,101
522 564 650 706
718
579
697
560
682
530
673
521
643
483
649
473
656
445
647
427
693
337
647
310
583
279
539
257
458
231
387
213
328
191
200
152
166
140
136
122
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Source: Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, Inc. Source: Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, Inc.
Source: Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, Inc.
Japanese films Hollywood films Non-Hollywood imported films
no. of film box office
addmissions
no. of film box office
addmissions
no. of film box office
addmissions
releases (yen) releases (yen) releases (yen)
share share share share share share share share share
282 54.3 billion 43 million 81 61.1 billion 48.4 million 281 55.4 billion 43.9 million
43.8% 31.80% 31.80% 12.6% 35.8% 35.77% 43.6% 32.4% 32.42%
2001 281 78.1 billion 64 million 65 76.5 billion 62.4 million 284 45.4 billion 37.1 million
44.6% 39.00% 39.04% 10.3% 38.2% 38.22% 45.1% 22.7% 22.72%
2002 293 53.2 billion 43 million 68 93.2 billion 76.2 million 279 50.1 billion 41 million
45.8% 27.10% 27.08% 10.6% 47.4% 47.40% 43.6% 25.5% 25.50%
2003 287 67.1 billion 54 million 93 85 billion 67.9 million 242 51.1 billion 40 million
46.1% 33.00% 33.02% 15.0% 41.8% 41.82% 38.9% 25.2% 25.15%
2004 310 79 billion 64 million 78 89.9 billion 71.8 million 261 41.9 billion 33 million
47.8% 37.50% 37.89% 12.0% 42.6% 42.23% 40.2% 19.9% 19.87%
2005 356 81.7 billion 66 million 81 73 billion 58.9 million 294 43.2 billion 35 million
48.7% 41.30% 41.42% 11.1% 36.9% 36.73% 40.2% 21.8% 21.84%
2006 417 107.9 billion 89 million 96 73.7 billion 57.9 million 308 21.2 billion 17 million
50.8% 53.20% 54.20% 11.7% 36.3% 35.29% 37.5% 10.5% 10.50%
2007 407 94.6 billion 77 million 78 82.1 billion 67.5 million 325 21.6 billion 17 million
50.2% 47.70% 47.66% 9.6% 41.4% 41.41% 40.1% 10.9% 10.91%
2008 417 115.8 billion 95 million 68 56.3 billion 46.4 million 320 22.6 billion 18.6 million
51.9% 59.50% 59.46% 8.43% 28.90% 28.91% 39.70% 11.62% 11.62%
Source: Kinema Junpo Film Institute

Chapter
2
2
Co-production System in Japan Development of Co-production System and Its Structure
Co-produ ction
System in Japan
Development of Co-production System and
Its Structure By Kakeo Yoshio, Executive Director, Kinema Junpo Film Institute
1. Development of Co-production in Europe
In 2001, UNESCO adopted the “UNESCO Universal Declaration on
Cultural Diversity.” This approach was taken in the effort to protect the
unique culture of each country and region in the world of continuing
globalization, which is now dominated by the contents created with a large
budget. At the same time, however, it implicated the tremendous threat
imposed by Hollywood. In Europe, initiative to promote the film industry
“Media Plus” has been launched as a measure to protect its unique culture,
with the objective to maintain, pass on and revitalize the cinematic art
and expression of Europe as its cultural heritage. This project supports the
production of high-quality European films through provision of subsidies
to films that are jointly produced and/or distributed by more than one
European country. At Cannes International Film Festival, for example, EU
Media Award is awarded every year to the film that was screened in the
most number of European countries.
As such, it can be said that European countries started co-producing
large-scale films to compete with Hollywood films. EuropaCorp founded
in 2001 by Director Luc Besson was established with an aim to produce
films targeting the world market. France has already signed co-production
agreements with a number of countries around the globe and is actively
promoting international co-production of films. The development of the
point system for defining the level and type of involvement of a company
in each project became important for determining the benefits such as
government subsidies for domestic films. Through such developments,
attention has been called to the significance of establishing the definition
of “film nationality” in co-productions.
2. Development of Co-production in East Asia and Japan
This trend for international co-production of films in Europe has become
more popular in East Asia after the return of Hong Kong to China as well
as Korean TV dramas and films craze in Asia. One big turning point in
particular was the Closer Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) signed
40 41

Chapter 2
Co-production System in Japan Development of Co-production System and Its Structure
by Hong Kong and China in 2004. This treaty allowed the entry of Hong
Kong films to the Chinese market without being restricted under the
import quota on imported film. As films of any country may enter the
Chinese market through co-production with Hong Kong, the international
co-production of films between Hong Kong and other countries has
increased. Furthermore, the number of co-production films between
China and Hong Kong has also been following an increasing trend. While
the film market in China is still not big at the moment, expectations are
high that it will develop into a gigantic market in the near future together
with its economic development. As such, countries of the Chinese-speaking
regions such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia are thought
to further enhance their ties with China. In addition, the number of joint
projects between Korea and China is also increasing since the film market
in Korea is small despite its high level of film planning, development and
production skills, as well as because Korea has seen a limit in the Japanese
film market. These governments are also actively providing support for
international co-production of films in their countries. In Korea, Korean
Film Council (KOFIC) actively supports the promotion of Korean films
and co-productions with Korean filmmakers. In China, China Film Co-
Production Corporation serves as a central body for acknowledging
international co-production of films as a national policy.
The Japanese industry, on the other hand, has not been too eager
about international co-productions mostly because it is the second largest
film market in the world. In recent years, however, Japan has shifted its gear
as it can be seen in UNIJAPAN initiative J-Pitch, a support program for
international co-production launched in 2006 with the support of Japan’s
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. J-Pitch seeks film projects with
international co-production potential and helps Japanese film producers
participate at international project markets including among all those in
Cannes, Pusan and Berlin.
The interest in international co-production of films has been growing
gradually in Japan partly because of the support offered by the government.
However, the stance taken by the Japanese film industry for co-production
is generally one of the following two. Major film companies are showing a
more conservative stance as they maintain a stable share in the domestic
market and do not have much need to venture out into other overseas
markets. In addition, they are passive about the international co-productions
as there are few successful cases of international co-productions that Japan
was involved in as well as skeptical about the credibility of the international
co-production project partners.
On the contrary, the producers with projects of strong storyline
and companies for independent films that face difficulty in the domestic
market are more eager for international co-production of films. The areas
and genres of involvement is also starting to expand, including investment
to the directors of artistic films such as Jia Zhang Ke (China), Abbas
Kiarostami (Iran) and Kim Ki-Duk (Korea), as well as entertainment films
such as A Battle of Wits and Red Cliff.
3. Trying to Define International Co-production
There is no clear-cut definition of international co-production in Japan.
J-Pitch program recognizes projects as international co-productions if
there is the participation of more than one country to invest in the film
and the participation of a Japanese producer in the project. In Japan
international co-productions take on various forms and a number of factors
must be considered and included when creating its definition. These factors
would be for instance, co-production of several countries, investment of
several countries in a well-known director or in a project which surely has
a potential of becoming a success. In the past, Oshima Nagisa directed In
the Realm of the Senses with the investment of a French company. Both the
cast and crew were Japanese, but the film nationality was French. Oshima
has since directed a number of international co-productions including
Max mon amour and Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence. Similarly, Kurosawa
Akira has also directed such works as Dersu Uzala, Ran and Dreams with
investments from several countries. These are cases of international capital
investment to allow the esteemed directors of Japan to shoot films, but
there are many other works that have been produced as international coproduction.
4. Works Recognized as Co-production in Japan
Three Patterns and Recent Cases
¡Pattern 1: Producers, cast and crew from several countries are involved in a film
invested by those countries.
list of recent major works
A Battle of Wits 2006; invested by China, Hong Kong, Korea and Japan;
cast includes Chinese, Korean and Hong Kong actors
Crossing Over 2007; invested by China and Japan;
cast includes Nakai Kiichi and Miao Pu
Dream 2008; invested by Korea and Japan;
cast includes Odagiri Joe
hana kage 2007; invested by Japan and Korea;
cast includes Kim Rae Won and Yamamoto Mirai
Last Life in the Universe 2003; invested by Thailand, the Netherlands, France, Singapore
and Japan; starring Asano Tadanobu
42 43

Chapter 2
Co-production System in Japan Development of Co-production System and Its Structure
The Longest Night in Shanghai 2007; invested by Japan and China;
cast includes Motoki Masahiro and Vicki Zhao
Plastic City 2008; invested by China, France, Brazil and Japan;
cast includes Odagiri Joe
Red Cliff 2008; invested by Japan, China, Korea, US and Taiwan;
cast includes Kaneshiro Takeshi and Nakamura Shido
Silk 2007; invested by Italy, Canada, France, UK and Japan;
cast includes Michael Pitt, Keira Knightley and Yakusho Koji
Tea Fight 2008; invested by Japan and Taiwan;
cast includes Kagawa Teruyuki, Toda Erika and Vic Chow
TOKYO! 2008; invested by France, Korea and Japan;
cast includes Japanese actors
Virgin Snow 2006; invested by Japan and Korea;
cast includes Miyazaki Aoi and Lee Jun-gi
¡Pattern 2: Producers, cast and crew from several countries are involved in a film
produced by a single country.
list of recent major works
2009: Lost Memories 2001; Korean film;
starring Jang Dong Gun and Nakamura Toru
CAFE LUMIERE 2003; Japanese film; with Taiwanese director
Cyborg, She 2008; Japanese film; with Korean director
Devils on the Doorstep 2000; Chinese film; directed by Jiang Wen;
cast includes Kagawa Teruyuki
The Grudge 2004; US remake of a Japanese film;
cast and crew include Japanese producer, director and actors
The Grudge 2 2006; US remake of a Japanese film;
cast and crew include Japanese producer, director and actors
The Last Samurai 2003; Hollywood film;
cast includes Watanabe Ken and Sanada Hiroyuki
Letters from Iwo Jima 2006; Hollywood film; cast includes Japanese actors
Nuan 2003; Chinese film; directed by Huo Jianqi;
cast includes Kagawa Teruyuki
One Missed Call Final 2006; Japanese film; with Korean director and crew
Rikidozan: A Hero Extraordinary 2004; Korean film; starring Sol Kyung-gu and Nakatani Miki
¡Pattern 3: A foreign country investing in a Japanese film or a Japanese company
investing in a foreign film.
list of recent major works
Gu Gu, the Cat 2008; Japanese film; with Korean capital
Marie Antoinette 2006; Japanese film; with US and French capital
The MOURNING FOREST 2007; Japanese film; with French capital
ONE MISSED CALL 2008; US remake of a Japanese film;
with Japanese capital
Over-the-Shoulder Lover 2007; Korean film; with Japanese capital
The Ring 2002; US remake of a Japanese film; with Japanese capital
Tokyo Sonata 2008;
Japanese film; with the Netherlandish and Hong Kong capital
5. Challenges in Co-producing with Japan
1) Film Nationality
The more common international co-production of films becomes, the
more ambiguous the film nationality is. It is certain that the definition
of international co-production of films has not yet been determined in
Japan as public assistance and incentives for film production remain low,
together with the fact that Japan has signed an agreement for international
co-productions only with one country thus far (Japan and Canada signed
a co-production agreement in 1994). Nevertheless, the international coproduction
projects have been actively promoted and made possible in
Japan from the standpoint of investment by production companies and
for the sake of furthering the promotion of international exchange in the
field of film industry.
2) Japanese Production System
In recent years, a group of companies referred to as the production
committee that is comprised of several investors produces majority of the
films in Japan. After its peak in the first half of the 1960s, the Japanese film
industry has been marking a long downward trend. At the time, five major
companies (Shochiku, Toho, Toei, Daiei Motion Picture and Nikkatsu) ran
the film industry, and these companies had their own studios and boxoffice
network of various sizes. In other words, these companies controlled
the film business. However, as economic downturn prolonged and entered
the 1970s, the most costly part of the film business, the production section
was separated from the rest of the filming process and outsourced. That is
how a film production came to be invested by several companies.
Once hitting the 1980s, Japan entered its bubble economy and
44 45

Chapter 2
Co-production System in Japan Development of Co-production System and Its Structure
companies from various industries started to invest in films. However,
several companies investing in a film at the time was to avert risk rather
than to take advantage and supplement each other’s skills. This trend for
a production committee started to carry a different purpose when film
production investment even by several companies was facing serious
challenges after the burst of the bubble in 1989. It started to be comprised
of companies that would financially gain from its participation. The film
company would theatrically release the film, the publisher would publish
the original story, the video company would sell the video of the film, the
advertisement company would publicize as well as TV and radio networks
would broadcast or advertise the film. The said members advertised the
film using their own medium, creating a synergetic effect. Today the
production committees comprised of such members are involved in the
production of most of the films from major to independent ones. As such,
a production committee consisting of major film companies, TV networks
and publishers that can utilize their networks and advertisement skills, in
most cases would lead the film it produces to a greater success. On the
other hand, the films produced out of this system can hardly become great
hits.
The administrative company and other participating companies of
the production committee carry out film production through consensual
decision-making. The production committee is the copyright holder of the
film, and sales are divided among its members according to the investment
ratio. For example, TV networks and video companies that are members
of the production committee must purchase the right to broadcast and the
right for video distribution from the production committee respectively.
The TV networks and video companies then receive dividends based on
their investment ratio from the right fees they paid earlier.
The advantage of forming a production committee is that companies
with strong networks and financial capability come together and multiply
their resources. On the other hand, one of the disadvantages of a production
committee is that decision-making takes time and lacks the capacity to
flexibly respond to unexpected problems.
Japanese production committees have had issues when engaged in
an international co-production of films with overseas companies. This is
because when the producer of the partner company from overseas and the
producer of the managing company representing the production committee
jointly produce a film, the approval of the production committee must be
obtained for any changes made in the storyline, cast, etc. The producer of
the managing company holds a decision-making power to some degree,
but approval of the production committee must be obtained for major
changes. In this respect, the production committee system practiced in
Japan faces difficulties when producing a film with a partner company
from overseas. For example, in Korea and China the director on the set has
a strong decision-making power, or in Europe and the US the producer has
a strong decision-making power.
46 47

Chapter 2
Co-production System in Japan J-Pitch: Support Program for International Co-production
J-Pitch: Support Program for International
Co-production
1. J-Pitch Activities
J-Pitch is an international co-production support program administered
by UNIJAPAN and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI),
initiated in April, 2006 by the support of METI.
J-Pitch was launched as an initiative supporting the Japanese producers
developing international co-productions and enabling Japanese films to
compete in the international market. Japanese producers with projects
that have co-production potential are supported by J-Pitch through the
arrangement of collaborative meetings, conferences, and other related
activities held both within Japan and at contents markets worldwide.
J-Pitch’s remit is: to identify and develop film projects that could be
completed as international co-productions or which have a high possibility
of success in the international market; to foster an exchange of ideas and
projects between Japanese producers and their counterparts in other parts of
the world; to build relationships with experienced international producers,
who could act as consultants for the projects and for the building of links
with established producer training programs in other parts of the world.
To foster the networking and interaction between Japanese and overseas
film producers and to promote the development of Japanese content and
film industry, J-Pitch carries out the following activities.
1) Participations at the International Project Markets
In cooperation with the international project markets, J-Pitch organizes
business meetings where the Japanese producers and Japan based
producers are given an opportunity to directly introduce their projects
to the overseas producers. J-Pitch holds open entries for partnered
markets. To selected producers J-Pitch also covers expenses for overseas
travel and promotional materials translation, and arranges interpreters, if
necessary. In 2009, J-Pitch works in partnership with eight project markets
and networking venues which includes Cannes (Producers Network),
Shanghai (Co-production Film Pitch and Catch), Paris (Paris Project),
Toronto (International Financing Forum), Pusan (Pusan Promotion Plan),
Rotterdam (CineMart), Berlin (Co-Production Market), and Hong Kong
(Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing Forum).
Among the projects which were submitted through J-Pitch so far, the
following projects entered official selection:
Shanghai International Film Festival,
Co-production Film Pitch and Catch (Co-FPC)
Funahashi Atsushi Déjà Vu Cities Village Productions (2008)
Iseki Satoru Li-liang Tara Contents Inc. (2008)
Fushimi Tomoko Seiroki Running Beagle LLC. (2008)
Paris Cinema International Film Festival,
Paris Project
Ichiyama Shozo Déjà Vu Cities Office Kitano Inc. (2008)
Sonoki Miyako DAZAI Chase Film International (2007)
Toronto International Film Festival,
International Financing Forum (IFF)
Sato Hideaki Sushi Man Dream One Inc. (2008)
Sakahara Atsushi Kyoko Good People Inc. (2008)
Tokikawa Toru Single Hit Rivertime Entertainment Ltd. (2008)
Suzuki Akihiro School Girl in A Cage S.I.G. Co., Ltd. (2008)
Takeyama Masatoshi Samurai Interpreter WAO World Co., Ltd. (2008)
48 49

Chapter 2
Co-production System in Japan J-Pitch: Support Program for International Co-production
Pusan International Film Festival,
Pusan Promotion Plan (PPP)
Ono Kousuke Forget-Me-Not (Pusan Award)
Wa Entertainment (2008)
Sugiura Mikio Leaving the Peninsula Behind
Be Wild Co., Ltd. (2008)
Sadai Yuji My Back Page Bitters End, Inc. (2008)
Uemura Maki On Next Sunday d-ritghs Inc. (2007)
Hirasawa Sho Room of Dreams (Cineclick Asia Award)
PaxEterna Limited (2007)
International Film Festival Rotterdam,
CineMart
Sadai Yuji My Back Page Bitters End, Inc. (2008)
Hirasawa Sho Room of Dreams PaxEterna Limited (2007)
Berlin International Film Festival,
Co-Production Market
Kito Yukie Seasons of Tokyo Entertainment Farm, Inc. (2008)
Ochiai Atsuko Eternal Forest Supersaurus (2007)
Hong Kong International Film Festival,
Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF)
Iizuka Eiju AMARIKAN NHK Enterprises, Inc. (2008)
Naito Yuko And Protect, Protected (Paris Project Award)
Kumie Inc. (2008)
Kito Yukie DOOR Entertainment Farm Inc. (2008)
Yamagami Tetsujiro Time for Children SIGLO., Ltd. (2008)
Jennifer Fukasawa Gensenkan Hideon Productions (2007)
Mameoka Ryosuke Tsutenkaku IMJ Entertainment Corp. (2007)
Kito Yukie Tokyo Sonata Entertainment Farm Inc. (2006)
2) Organizing Business Meetings and Pitching Trainings
As of year 2009, J-Pitch organizes the training sessions conducted by
pitching advisors to the Japanese producers who may be potential
candidates of J-Pitch. The producers who attend to present their projects
at the overseas project markets are also invited to participate. J-Pitch aims
not only to enhance the realization of their projects but also to provide
global pitching technique to Japanese producers. During fiscal year 2009,
J-Pitch will hold business meetings in cooperation with overseas producer
assigned agencies or organizations.
3) Open Seminars
J-Pitch organizes seminars that provide information necessary for the
realization of the international co-productions. The seminars focus on
topics such as law, finance, production, management including the entry
to project markets, international film festivals and film markets. In 2008,
J-Pitch held a talk session, Japanese Producers on the Move — Three Female
Producers in International Market, with three female producers whose
international co-productions entered the Cannes International Film
Festival 2008 and a roundtable, Project Market in the World — What’s New?,
gathering the representatives of major overseas project markets.
4) J-Pitch Website
As of April 2008, J-Pitch has been managing its official website (http//jpitch.jp)
to announce the releases of the entries to the overseas project
markets and beneficial news on international co-productions. The website
also posts information on overseas support schemes for co-production,
releases data on Japanese film industry and provides access to bilingual
Japanese Film Date Base (JFDB) for overseas producers. In 2008, J-Pitch
succeeded in collecting the information on the state of film industry and
co-production supporting system on three major countries in Europe,
six countries in Asia, and Canada working in cooperation with overseas
organizations which include: European Audiovisual Observatory, CNC
and Film France, UK Film Council, Telefilm Canada, KOFIC, New Zealand
Film Commission, Singapore Film Commission, The Federation of
National Film Associations of Thailand (FNFAT) among others.
50 51

Chapter 2
Co-production System in Japan J-Pitch: Support Program for International Co-production
2. Supported Films
© 2008 TEA FIGHT FILM ASSOCIATION
© 2008 Fortissimo Films/ TOKYO SONATA Film Partners
© 2008 FLAVOR OF HAPPINESS Film Partners
Crime or Punishment?!?
Producer: Enomoto Norio
Director: Kerallino Sandrovich
Japanese Release: February 28, 2009
Country: Japan
Project Market:
Cannes Producers Network 2006
TEA FIGHT
Producer: Ono Kousuke
Director: Wang Yeming
Japanese Release: July 12, 2008
Country: Japan=Taiwan
Project Market: Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing
Forum (HAF) 2007
TOKYO SONATA
Producer: Kito Yukie
Director: Kurosawa Kiyoshi
Japanese Release: September 27, 2008
Country: Japan=Hong Kong=Netherlands
Project Market: Cannes Producers Network 2006
Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF)
2007
FLAVOR OF HAPPINESS
Producer: Miki Kazushi
Director: Mihara Mitsuhiro
Japanese Release: October 11, 2008
Country: Japan
Project Market: Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing
Forum (HAF) 2007
© “Crime or Punishment ?!?” Production Committee
© 2009 ON NEXT SUNDAY FILM PARTNERS
© Harimaya Bridge, LLP
On Next Sunday
Producer: Uemura Maki
Director: Kemmochi Satoki
Japanese Release: April 11, 2009
Country: Japan
Project Market: Pusan Promotion Plan 2007
The Harimaya Bridge
Producer: Mori Ko
Director: Aaron Woolfolk
Japanese Release: June 6, 2009
Country: Japan=U.S.A.=Korea
Project Market: Rotterdam Lab 2008
Contact details: J-Pitch Office/ UNIJAPAN
5F Tsukiji Yasuda Bldg., 2-15-14, Tsukiji, Chuo-ku
Tokyo, 104-0045
TEL: +81-3-5565-7511 Fax: +81-3-5565-7531
Email: j-pitch@unijapan.org
More about J-Pitch at http://j-pitch.jp
52 53

Chapter 2
Co-production System in Japan Film and Co-production Market in Japan
Film and Co-production Market in Japan
1. TIFFCOM: Marketplace for Film & TV in Asia
TIFFCOM, Tokyo International Film Festival Market, was launched in
2003 as an Asian multi-content business market with an aim to capitalize
Japan’s fame in animation and other visual content. Diversely from Marché
du Film in Cannes and European Film Market in Berlin as well as other
overseas major film markets that focus mostly on movie industry, TIFFCOM
gathers buyers and sales agents of films, TV programs, animations and
other entertainment-related content. It is composed of three major events:
TIFFCOM, TPG and Seminar@TIFFCOM. TIFFCOM is the entertainment
business market with a wide range of content genres, where major Asian
visual contents and influential decision-makers of the industries gather.
TPG (Tokyo Project Gathering) is a co-production market for finding
business partners of financing and marketing. Seminar@TIFFCOM
offers global perspectives and keynotes in related industries, especially to
Asia. TIFFCOM has been supporting business leaders as the backbone of
Asian visual contents and networks along with its affiliated festival, Tokyo
International Film Festival.
In 2008 TIFFCOM celebrated its 5th anniversary gathering with
19,843 visitors in total from 43 countries and regions. The number of
domestic and oversea exhibitors became fifty-fifty, and its functionality has
been greatly enhanced.
In cooperation with the International Drama Festival 2008, TIFFCOM
also supported TV drama and broadcasting-related content.
TIFFCOM2008
TIFFCOM (Oct. 22 nd – 24 th at Roppongi Hills 40F, Tokyo)
Number of Exhibitors: 201 organizations from 22 countries and regions
Number of Pre-Registered Visitors: 4,006 from 43 countries and regions
Number of Market Screenings: 42 (including 38 market premieres)
TIFFCOM2009
(Oct. 20 th – 22 nd at Roppongi Hills 40F and 49F, Tokyo)
Contact details: TIFFCOM
TIFFCOM2009
2F Tsukiji Yasuda Bldg.,2-15-14 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku
Tokyo 104-0045, JAPAN
Email: info@tiffcom.jp
URL: www.tiffcom.jp
2. Tokyo Project Gathering (TPG) Co-production Market
Tokyo Project Gathering (TPG) was launched in 2003 as the first and
only co-production market in Japan. TPG promotes international coproduction
of visual content including both movies and animated films.
Organized as a co-event of TIFFCOM, TPG provides an opportunity for
filmmakers and film professionals to present their projects in any stage:
from development to just-before finalizing and help them find and raise
funds from overseas. It also enables domestic and international visual
54 55

Chapter 2
Co-production System in Japan Other Support Schemes
content experts to exchange views and information and hold business
discussions. In 2008 TPG Committee selected 34 projects and organized
316 meetings. TPG also awards TPG Award for the best project. The winner
of TPG Award in 2008 was The Red Dragonfly presented by Mr. Wang Wei,
producer from Cineway, China.
TPG 2009
(Oct. 19 th – 22 nd at Roppongi Academyhills 49F, Tokyo)
Events:
TPG Networking Reception: introducing project exhibitors to the visitors (such
as producers, buyers, investors).
Individual business meetings: one-to-one meetings and business meetings
organized by the TPG office.
Contact details: TPG
TPG Office
c /o TIFFCOM Organizer’s Office
2F Tsukiji Yasuda Bldg., 2-15-14 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku
Tokyo 104-0045 Japan
Tel: +81-3-5148-3861 Fax: +81-3-3524-1127
Email: tpg@tiffcom.jp
URL: www.tiffcom.jp/2009/e/tpg.html
Other Support Schemes
1 . Support Program for the Production of Film and TV Programs on Japan
The Japan Foundation offers grants to production companies making
documentary films or TV programs on contemporary Japanese society.
Organizations abroad with knowledge and proven experience in the
field of filmmaking are eligible to apply for this program. Application from
individuals are not considered.
l Qualified Projects:
1. Production of audio-visual materials in languages other than Japanese
including documentary films, television programs, and video works
that handle Japanese subjects, excluding fiction. Projects should be
completed between April 2010 and February 2011. Japanese language
teaching materials are not eligible.
2. Works intended for release to the general public in the form of either
television broadcasting or film festivals and/or commercial release.
3. Works produced from a contemporary perspective (whether the subject
matter belongs to the present or the past).
l Coverage:
Assistance will not exceed one-half of the total production costs, and is
limited to a maximum of ¥5 million. Assistance will be remitted only after
completion of the project.
l Number of Grants made for Fiscal Year 2009:
13 out of 48 applications
l Criteria:
1) Quality of the contents
2) Production scheme (probability of completion)
3) Effectiveness of the completed work
l Application Deadline:
November 2009 [Please inquire for specific date.
l Notification of Results:
April 2010
56 57

Chapter 2
Co-production System in Japan Other Support Schemes
Detailed application instructions and application form for the fiscal 2010–
2011 will become available in September 2009.
Contact details: Film, TV and Publication Section
Arts and Culture Department
The Japan Foundation
4-1-1 Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 106-0004
Email: film_tv_and_publication_division@jpf.go.jp
URL: http://www.jpf.go.jp/e/program/culture.html
2 . Subsidies for Culture and Arts Promotion Expenses
—Support for Challenging Film Production [
The Agency for Cultural Affairs provides the following subsidies to Japanese
films, including those films made as international co-productions in order
to support the production of challenging film projects that are expected to
directly lead to the improvement of the level of the Japanese film art.
l Eligibility:
Japanese organizations established to produce films and meet either of the
following criteria 1. or 2. :
1. An organization established under Article 34 of the Civil Code (Act No.
89 of 1896) or under the Non-profit Organization Law (Act No. 7 of
1998).
2. An organization that possesses all of the followings:
a. Articles of association, an act of endowment, or similar rules.
b. Clear intention, executive department, and responsibility system.
c. The accounting department that can carry out accounting and
auditing of its own organization.
d. A base office for its activities.
• If organizations form a production committee, they may not make any
application in the name of the production committee. However, if the
organization that is the core member of the committee falls under any of the
above, the organization may make an application in its name.
• In principle, the applicant must not be a first-time film producer, and must
meet one of the followings:
a. The applicant has produced one or more films (including coproductions).
b. The representative of the applicant or the director or the producer of the
film concerned has produced or directed one or more films.
c. A member applicant of a co-production group or a production committee
has produced one or more films.
l Qualified Projects:
This subsidy is granted for a Japanese film production of a feature,
documentary or animation at any stage of the production from planning
to completion. It must be released widely to the public, within one year
after the completion. Note that by Japanese film production, it is meant a
[ The text is not an official translation but one made by UNIJAPAN. In case of
inconsistency, the original Japanese version shall prevail.
58 59

Chapter 2
Co-production System in Japan Other Support Schemes
film made by a Japanese national, a permanent resident or a corporation
established in accordance with the Japanese laws. In case of an international
co-production, the Agency for Cultural Affairs examines the ownership of
the copyright and other matters to determine whether the production can
be subsidized. The film may not have any commercial, religious, or political
purpose promoting specific product, organization, or group. Having a
Japanese national as a co-production partner makes it easier to access these
grants.
l Amount:
Category Length
Actual expenses
that can be
covered by subsidy
Amount
of subsidy
Feature film Special Over ¥200 million ¥50 million
A Over 1 hour Over ¥100 million ¥20 million 35 mm and others
B Over ¥50 million ¥10 million
Documentary Film Special
Over 1 hour Over ¥50 million ¥15 million 16 mm and others
A Over ¥20 million ¥5 million
(including video)
B 20 min. to 1 hour Over ¥6 million ¥2 million
Animation Film Long feature A
Over 1 hour Over ¥200 million ¥50 million Any form is
Long feature B Over ¥80 million ¥20 million
accepted
Short feature less than 1 hour Over ¥10 million ¥3 million
l Documents to be submitted:
The application form can be downloaded from the website of the Agency
for Cultural Affairs.
Documents required Feature film Documentary film Animation film
Application form 1 copy 1 copy 1 copy
Distribution / Marketing Plan 1 copy 1 copy 1 copy
Articles of association, act of endowment, or similar rules of
1 copy
the applicant
1 copy 1 copy
List of past productions and related publicity materials [1 1 copy 1 copy 1 copy
Sample DVD or VHS copy (10 min. extract) — 1 copy (not obligatory)
—
Bound Screenplay [2 10 copies 10 copies 10 copies
Storyboard [3 — — 10 copies
Color image board / cabinet size photograph — —
8 copies
(not obligatory)
Form
[ 1 In case of co-production groups, the outline of each group and the list of past
productions must be included.
[ 2 If only the photocopy of the screenplay is available at the time of application, it
should be bound in B5 size including the credits.
[ 3 Include only the essential parts of the storyboard. The list of characters and the story
setting must be included.
l Some other notes:
1. When the screenplay, staff, and cast of the film are determined, the
applicant shall immediately report them to the Agency for Cultural
Affairs. If there is any change in the application, the granting of the
subsidy may be revoked, depending on the content of the change.
2. Each time the subsidized film is released in the five-year period after
its completion, the applicant shall report it to the Agency for Cultural
Affairs. After this period, the applicant shall submit a report on the
settlement of accounts. If the applicant gains considerable revenues
from the release of the film, the Agency for Cultural Affairs may order
the applicant to repay a part or the whole of the subsidy to the National
Treasury.
3. The applicant shall include the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ symbol
mark or the like not only in the subsidized film but also in its posters,
handbills, pamphlets, and other materials.
4. If the applicant fails to complete the subsidized production by the
required date, the Agency for Cultural Affairs shall accept no application
for this project from the applicant for three years from the following
fiscal year.
l Application deadlines:
January and July [Please inquire for specific date.
Applications to be submitted to:
Japan Arts Council Funding Department
Address: 4-1 Hayabusa-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8656
URL: http://www.ntj.jac.go.jp/kikin/index.html
For inquires contact:
Support Program Room, Arts and Culture Division,
Cultural Affairs Department
Agency for Cultural Affairs
Address: 3-2-2 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8959
Tel: +81-3-6734-2083 Fax: +81-3-6734-3815
URL: http://www.bunka.go.jp
60 61

Chapter 2
Co-production System in Japan Other Support Schemes
3 . Support Program for the Participation at Film Festivals
Initiated in April 2003 under the support of the Agency for Cultural Affairs,
this program is managed by UNIJAPAN.
In order to support the exposure of Japanese films overseas, to enhance
the understanding of Japanese culture abroad and to help recover the
production costs, the government of Japan provides assistance for Japanese
films entering overseas film festivals and film markets in the following
production costs: subtitles, multiple prints, promotional materials and
travel expenses. This assistance targets independent film productions as
well.
l Grants:
A. Support for filmmakers participating in film festival and film market
Japanese films and Japanese filmmakers participating in film festivals
or film markets abroad may receive the following grants:
1. Grant for subtitles production
• Includes print duplication, translation and print transportation
• Covers up to half of the total cost, maximum of ¥700,000
2. Grant for overseas travel expenses
• Traveling and lodging for producers, directors, performers, sales
representatives, and other related staff
• Covers up to half of the total cost, maximum of ¥400,000
3. Grant for publicity materials
• Production costs of posters and leaflets in other languages and
advertising expenses
• Covers up to half of the total cost, maximum of ¥400,000
B. Support for filmmakers participating in major film festivals
Supports listed below are provided for the participants whose work has
been selected for film festival competitions accredited by UNIJAPAN.
1. Grant for participating in feature film competition of three major
international film festivals: Palme d’Or, (Cannes), the Golden Lion
(Venice), the Golden Bear (Berlin)
• Subtitles production, print transportation, traveling and lodging
for filmmakers, publicity materials, translators and publicists
• Covers up to half of the total cost, maximum of ¥4 million
2. Grant for participating in other UNIJAPAN accredited international
film festivals
• Subtitles production, print transportation, traveling and lodging
for filmmakers
• Covers up to half of the total cost, maximum of ¥1.5 million
This grant is provided to the participants of competition category of
international film festivals other than the feature film competition
of three film festivals mentioned above, which are accredited by
UNIJAPAN. These include participation in competition selection
of the film festivals accredited by FIAPF (International Federation
of Film Producers Associations): film festivals of Shanghai
(China), Moscow(Russia), Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic), Locarno
(Switzerland), Montreal (Canada), San Sebastian (Spain), Cairo
(Egypt), Mar del Plata (Argentine); internationally known film
awards (e.g. US Academy Awards).
C. Support for independent filmmakers participating in film festivals
and film markets
Supports listed below are provided to young and emerging filmmakers
who participates at international film festivals. Student films, short
films, 16mm films, digital films are all considered.
1. Grant for subtitles production
• Includes print duplication, translation and print transportation
• Under UNIJAPAN’s counsel, 50 % of the costs approved will be
provided within the budget, maximum of ¥700,000
2. Grant for filmmakers’ overseas travel expenses
• Traveling and lodging for producers, directors, performers and
related staff
• Under UNIJAPAN’s counsel, the total of costs approved will be
provided maximum of ¥200, 000
62 63

Chapter 2
Co-production System in Japan Other Support Schemes
l Eligibility
Applicant: The applicant must be either a production company of the
film concerned, or its representative. The applying company must be
a corporate organization authorized by the Japanese law. However,
applications from individuals are also accepted in case of the above
listed grant C. support for independent filmmakers participating at
film festivals.
Applicants and their films must participate, or have already
participated at film festivals or film markets. Funds are available for
all genres, lengths and formats.
Coverage: Cost coverage is limited to filmmakers or film work representatives
participating at film festivals. No cost coverage is provided for overseas
sales agents or corporations.
l Application Procedure
Double application is prohibited:
In case an applicant is consequently receiving another grant for
subtitle production, travel expenses or publicity costs, he/she will
not be entitled to the grant. In case the support grant from another
body is decided after applying for this grant, an applicant is asked to
immediately inform UNIJAPAN.
Application Deadlines:
A day before the date of the festival or market which an applicant
participates in.
Selection and Announcement:
The selection of applicants or works for the grant is made by the
Selection Committee formed at UNIJAPAN’s request. The committee
decides the number of the recipients and allocation of grants.
In the case of the independent filmmakers grant applications, an
applicant is called for an interview.
In the case of the grant for subtitles production, “Supported
by the Agency for Cultural Affairs” must be inserted in the final
production of the work.
In the case of the grant for travel expenses, a detailed report of
participants, activities and schedule need to be submitted. This report
will be put up on UNIJAPAN’s official website.
Contact details: UNIJAPAN
5F Tsukiji Yasuda Bldg., 2-15-14 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku
Tokyo 104-0045, JAPAN
Tel: +81-3-5565-7511
Fax: +81-3-5565-7531
E-mail: office@unijapan.org
URL: http://www.unijapan.org
64 65

Chapter
3
3
Filming in Japan Film Commissions
Filming in
Japan
1. The Establishment of Film Commissions
Just a decade ago Japan had no major international movie production
being shot on its territory as there was no location-support organization in
Japan. In year 2000 a group of movie and media professionals volunteered
to establish the “Japan Film Commission Study Group” chaired by Mr.
Sato Tadao, the president of the Japan Academy of Moving Images. In
September the same year, the Study Group held the National Symposium
on Promoting the Establishment of Film Commissions and soon after in
November, it held the International Symposium to coincide with the Tokyo
International Film Festival, signaling to the world that the movement to
establish FCs in Japan had begun.
These events successfully lead to the establishment of FCs nationwide.
During year 2000, the film commissions were established in the city of
Osaka (February), Kobe (September) and Yokohama (October). With the
foundation of the Study Group, the efforts for the establishment of film
commissions enjoyed prominent media coverage, serving as a fillip for
an increasing number of prefectural municipalities around Japan which
responded to the establishment of FCs at rather fast pace. In August 2001
Japan Film Commission Promotion Council was established to unite efforts
of support to local film commissions and contribute to the development
of Japanese visual culture. As a result of these movements, as of year 2008
the number of the film commissions offering location support services
throughout Japan has reached 101.
2. The Launch of Japan Film Commission (JFC)
In April 2009 Japan Film Commission (JFC), an umbrella organization
covering the entire country of Japan, was launched. A non-profit
organization comprising of local film commissions and various film
and video industry guilds, such as the Directors Guild of Japan, it is also
supported by ministries and agencies of the federal Japanese government,
such as the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Agency for
Cultural Affairs.
JFC was launched to function as a single one-stop film commission
of Japan to provide service and information to filmmakers throughout
the world. JFC also functions as a network connecting over 100 film
commissions in Japan, making it possible for filmmakers to obtain
information on locations, local production service companies, shooting
permits, and information about non-tax incentives and filming supports
offered by local governments and film commissions in Japan.
For further and most recent information about JFC visit
JFC official website: http://www.japanfc.org
or contact JFC directly jfc@japanfc.org .
3. Some Useful Tips
— how to get the best support from film commissions
¡Local film commissions
Provide as much detailed information as possible regarding the shooting,
such as the project plan, script, storyboard, etc. (Confidential information
will not be released without your prior approval).
¡Film commission networks
As there are over 100 film commissions throughout Japan, neighboring
film commissions often work together in supporting a film. Regions such
as Hokkaido (northern island), Kansai region (covering Osaka, Kobe,
Kyoto), Kyushu Island area, and others have formed strong networks to
support filming by sharing information and resources.
66 67

Chapter 3
Filming in Japan Film Commissions
4. AFCNet (Asian Film Commissions Network) members
a www.afcnet.org
sSapporo Film Commission sSendai Miyagi Film Commission
sTokyo Location Box sNagoya Location Navi
sOsaka Film Council sHyogo Film Commission Network
sKobe Film Office sHimeji Film Commission
sHiroshima Film Commission sShimonoseki Film Commission
sKitakyushu Film Commission sFukuoka Film Commission
sSAGA Prefectural Film Commission sNagasaki Film & Media Commission
sOita City Location Office sOkinawa Film Office
68 69

Chapter
4
4
Information on Japanese Films Japanese Film Industry
Information
on
Japanese
Films
Japanese Film Industry
1. For the Statistics Refer to Motion Picture Producers Association of
Japan, Inc. (EIREN)
The statistical data of Japanese film industry is annually provided by
Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (EIREN) in January and
is made available on EIREN’s official website. The content of the following
data from 1955 to 2009 is available online.
1. Number of screens
2. Number of feature films released
3. Number of feature films attendance
4. Box-office receipts
5. Average admission fee
6. Distribution
7. Distribution revenue share
8. Films with more than 1 billion yen box office
(data available only from 2004)
Above data 1–5 is available in English on the J-Pitch official site
http://j-pitch.jp/english/statistics/
(updated and translated into English by UNIJAPAN in cooperation with
EIREN)
All of the above data is available on the official site of the Motion Picture
Producers Association of Japan (EIREN) in Japanese only.
http://www.eiren.org/toukei/index.html
2. For the Imported Films Refer to Foreign Film Importer-Distributors
Association of Japan (Gaihaikyo)
Foreign Film Importer-Distributors Association of Japan (Gaihaikyo)
provides the information on the imported film market in Japan. A title
list of imported films released within Japan from 2001–2007 is available in
Japanese and from 2005–2007 in English.
1. List of imported films by title per company
2. Number of imported films released by corporations per month
3. Number of imported films released by countries per month
Gaihaikyo’s official website http://www.gaihai.jp/
70 71

Chapter 4
Information on Japanese Films Japanese Film Database (JFDB)
3. For Research and Survey on Japanese Film Market Refer to
Kinema Junpo Film Institute
Kinema Junpo Film Institute was established in 2004 with an aim to further
contribute to the development of Japanese film market by conducting
researches and surveys on Japanese film industry and films. It provides and
releases analytical researches of Japanese film market and theatrical film
releases and thus, develops itself as a consultant agency offering the firsthand
information on the state of film market in Japan. Kinema Junpo Film
Institute also manages the film database covering 28,592 film titles from
1896 to 2007. Kinema Junpo Film Institute provides the information in
Japanese only.
Kinema Junpo Film Institute official website
http://www.kinejunsoken.com/
Japanese Film Database (JFDB)
With an aim to further spread the awareness of the Japanese films abroad,
in year 2002 UNIJAPAN launched a project for creating the first bilingual
(Japanese-English) Japanese film database. Focusing on the Japanese films
listed in UNIJAPAN’s yearbook Japanese Film, the database gathers the
information of theatrically released Japanese films including credits, extract
images and contact details of the companies in charge of the international
promotion. In year 2007 as part of the support program for international
co-production J-Pitch, the database was renewed as JFDB to offer more
detailed information about the Japanese films.
a http://j-pitch.jp/english/jfdb/
72 73

Chapter 4
Information on Japanese Films Japan Location Database (JLDB)
Content of JFDB
1) Data on Japanese films
JFDB provides search engine on Japanese films according to title, genre,
duration, year, film cast and staff, or film industry related companies. JFDB
also offers information on Japanese films released since 2002 together with
contact details for each film title, in Japanese and English.
JFDB covers information on 1309 film titles as of April 5th 2009. 1025
fiction, 151 documentaries, 106 animations, 8 experimental films and 19
others.
2) The Directory of Film Industry
As of April 5th, 2009, JFDB provides contact details and addresses of 521
film related organizations and companies.
These include:
Associations ……………………………… 33
Production companies …………………… 151
Production companies (animation) ……… 30
Distributors ……………………………… 100
Sales companies …………………………… 9
Funds ……………………………………… 4
Film commissions ……………………… 30
Film festivals ……………………………… 26
Film schools ………………………………
Laboratories, production studios and
24
equipment ………………………… 20
Subtitling companies …………………… 11
Casting companies ………………………… 4
Translation/interpretation companies ……… 4
The content of each organization includes: contact details, company’s
outline and filmography.
JFDB is annually renewed and its data regularly updated. For further
information please contact UNIJAPAN jpitch@unijapan.org .
Japan Location Database (JLDB)
In year 2006 the location database JLDB was launched under the auspice of
the Agency for Cultural Affairs, with an aim to help overseas filmmakers to
easily find the appropriate shooting location in Japan. Filmmakers can look
for locations that match their specific needs and interests with its search
engine by region, category or year. JLDB is a bilingual Japanese-English
database which covers data of 3000 locations around Japan. It serves as
a bridge connecting overseas filmmakers to various locations throughout
Japan.
JLDB https://www.jldb.bunka.go.jp/
© Ishikari Film Office
74 75

Chapter 4
Information on Japanese Films Some Useful Links
Some Useful Links
¡For co-production
J-Pitch (UNIJAPAN) http://j-pitch.jp/english
Japanese Film Database (UNIJAPAN) http://j-pitch.jp/english/jfdb
Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, Inc.
http://www.eiren.org/history_e/
Japan Film Makers Association http://www.2.odn.ne.jp/jfma
Association of All Japan TV Program Production Companies (ATP)
https://www.atp.or.jp/modules/english
Directors Guild of Japan http://www.dgj.or.jp
Foreign Film Importer - Distributors Association of Japan
http://www.gaihai.jp/english/eindex.htm
¡For film commissions & locations
Japan Film Commission http://www.japanfc.org/index.html
Japan Film Commission Promotion Council
http://www.film-com.jp/
Japan Location Database http://www.jldb.bunka.go.jp/
¡For support programs
Agency for Cultural Affairs
http://www.bunka.go.jp/english/index.html
Japan Foundation http://www.jpf.go.jp/e/index.html
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Japanese only)
http://www.meti.go.jp/policy/mono_info_service/contents/index.html
UNIJAPAN http://www.unijapan.org/en/
76 77

About UNIJAPAN About UNIJAPAN
About UNIJAPAN
UNIJAPAN is a non-profit organization commissioned by the Japanese
government to support the promotion of Japanese moving images
abroad.
UNIJAPAN was established in 1957 by the Japanese film industry under
the auspice of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the Ministry of
Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). Initially named Association for the
Diffusion of Japanese Film Abroad (UniJapan Film), in fiscal year 2005 it
joined hands with the organizer of the Tokyo International Film Festival
(TIFF), forming a new organization Japan Association for International
Promotion of the Moving Image (UNIJAPAN).
Today UNIJAPAN manages its activities through the International
Promotion Department, which is in charge of support programs for
overseas promotion, and the Film Festival Department, which is in charge
of the organization of TIFF.
¡Activities
• Support Program for Participation at Film Festivals (Grant Scheme
supported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs): UNIJAPAN provides
grants and subsidies for Japanese films and Japanese filmmakers attending
international film festivals and film markets, covering the expenses for
overseas travel, production of film subtitles and promotional materials.
• Support Program for International Sales (supported by the Agency
for Cultural Affairs): UNIJAPAN supports Japanese film companies to
promote international sales of Japanese films by setting up a Japanese
film promotional stand at the major international film markets in
Cannes, Toronto, Pusan, Hong Kong and Berlin.
• J-Pitch—Support Program for International Co-production (supported
by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry(METI)): As of year 2006
through J-Pitch, UNIJAPAN actively supports Japanese film producers
aiming at co-productions to participate at international project markets
in Cannes, Shanghai, Paris, Pusan, Rotterdam, Berlin and Hong Kong,
assists them in finding overseas co-production partners, and helps
them in building human networks crucial for furthering international
co-production. Within Japan, J-Pitch also organizes workshops and
seminars on international co-productions.
• Publications and Website: To foster the promotion of Japanese films
and spread the awareness of Japanese film overseas, UNIJAPAN manages
the following websites:
• UNIJAPAN official website supported by Japan KEIRIN Association
a http://www.unijapan.org/
• J-Pitch official website supported by METI
a http://j-pitch.jp/
• Japanese film database (JFDB) supported by METI
a http://j-pitch.jp/jfdb/
and issues the following publications:
• Japanese Film—a yearbook of Japanese films and film industry
supported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs
• New Cinema from Japan—a twice-a-year catalogue of new Japanese
cinema supported by the Japan Foundation
• Research and Development: To further promote international
cooperation for the growth of film culture and the advance of film
industry, UNIJAPAN working with international organizations, carries
out surveys and research on the state of overseas film markets including
international co-productions schemes, and sends out the UNIJAPAN
Newsletter with the latest news and information on screenings and
presence of Japanese films overseas.
• Organization of the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF):
UNIJAPAN manages the Tokyo International Film Festival through its
Film Festival Department (a www.tiff-jp.net ).
Contact details: UNIJAPAN
5F Tsukiji Yasuda Bldg., 2-15-14, Tsukiji, Chuo-ku
Tokyo, 104-0045, JAPAN
Tel: +81-3-5565-7511
Fax:+81-3-5565-7531
78 79

The Guide to Japanese Film Industry and Co-production 2009
Publisher: UNIJAPAN International Promotion Department
Managing Editor: Silvana PETKOVIC
Editor: USUI Chizuru
Assistant Editors: HASEGAWA Toshiyuki, NAKANISHI Kayoko, KIMURA Yumiko (UNIJAPAN)
WAKAI Makiko, YANO Kazuyuki (Cinematrix)
Translation: Digital Meme, Ben DIMAGMALIW
Design: YAMAGUCHI Atsushi
Printing: Yamaneko Printing
Date of Publication: March 31, 2009
Published by UNIJAPAN
5F Tsukiji Yasuda Bldg., 2-15-14 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045, JAPAN
Tel: +81-3-5565-7511 Fax:+81-3-5565-7531 Email: j-pitch@unijapan.org
http://www.unijapan.org
Supported by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Government of Japan
© Copyright 2009 UNIJAPAN. All rights reserved.