Toyota, Toshiba, Sony and Canon ― these are a few of many Japanese brands that became globally famous after Japan established itself as a manufacturer of quality products in the postwar period.

It might be too soon to declare an end to the nation’s manufacturing glory, but with South Korea, Taiwan and other economies improving their technology, Japan’s global presence likely will continue to wane if it depends solely on manufacturing. How can the nation revitalise itself?

At a recent concert in Cairo, young Muslim women wearing head scarves jumped up and down and roared with delight. The crowd of more than 500 people were on their feet.

The star they had come to see? Hironobu Kageyama, a singer known for animation songs such as the theme tune of “Dragon Ball Z.”

Kageyama’s concert, his first in the Middle East, was part of the Grand Japanese Pop Culture Festival held in Cairo on March 8 and 9. Self-published manga magazines were given away, and a cosplay competition was held at the event, where the recent political uncertainty in Egypt seemed to have been forgotten for a while at least.

Ahmed Hisham, a 19-year-old Egyptian university student studying business administration, wore a Dragon Ball costume and had a picture of himself taken in front of the pyramids.

“My goal is to open an anime store,” he said.

Kageyama has been invited to anime events in more than 10 Asian and European countries, as well as in the United States, drawing enthusiastic audiences.

“I never knew I had so many fans in Egypt,” said Kageyama, 52. “Japanese industrial products made inroads overseas after tremendous efforts, but animation has spread naturally.”

Animation and manga are not the only Japanese cultural products that have become popular far from the Land of the Rising Sun.

Japanese food and fashion have been well received around the world, far beyond Japanese expectations. Japanese terms such as “umami” and “kawaii” have gradually become global words.

The government believes such intellectual property represents “Cool Japan,” and is attempting to exploit it to vitalise the Japanese economy. In 2010, the Cool Japan Promotion Office was set up within the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also plans to launch a Cool Japan promotion body this autumn with a fund of 50 billion yen to launch projects by tapping the overseas popularity of Japanese pop culture.

However, intellectual property businesses face different challenges than manufacturers.

For one thing, video and audio images can be duplicated easily. A survey released in 2010 by the Foreign Ministry indicated that about 240 billion yen worth of pirated Japanese animation products were sold in China in one year.

These findings suggest animators may not be able to receive fair profits for their creations even though their work has become known globally.

Furthermore, their pay remains very low. According to a fiscal 2008 survey by the Japan Animation Creators Association, the average annual income of workers in their 20s in the animation business was a mere 1.1 million yen.

“The rate of new workers who quit [animation jobs] is high, and many young creators are struggling to hone their skills because their hectic daily work schedules don’t allow them to receive sufficient training,” said Osamu Yamasaki, a 51-year-old animation director who also is deputy head of the association.

The Cool Japan initiative is aimed at establishing a new Japan brand and utilizing it to promote overseas operations of manufacturers and other business entities. However, a system that rewards creators of animation and other intellectual property has yet to be established.

How can Japan benefit from the intellectual property that it is rightly so proud of?

The public and private sectors have only just begun working together to nurture people who can create new national brands and take full advantage of them.

By Kazuhiro Katayama

Kazuhiro Katayama is a staff writer at the Yomiuri Shimbun. ― Ed.

(The Japan News)

(Asia News Network)