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Japanese Anime Industry In Danger Of Fragmentation

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the you're-breaking-up dept.

ChibiOne writes "The Asahi Shinbun has a story about the critical state that the Japanese animation industry currently faces, claiming: 'As merchandisers grow rich, the animation industry is losing jobs to cheaper labor abroad.' The article quotes Oh Production President Koichi Murata as saying: 'Unless something is done, Japanese anime will be ruined.' An animator, toiling away on cels in a tiny Tokyo studio, might be fortunate to pull in just 50,000 yen [about $500 USD] a month."

1 of 435 comments (clear)

  1. Some Facts by dncsky1530 · · Score: 5, Informative

    50,000.00 JPY = 451.859 USD, about 5422.30 USD per year
    per capita GDP is $28,700 (2002 est.)
    factbook on japan
    Matsumoto said one U.S. toy manufacturer offered his company about $10 million (about 1.1 billion yen) for the rights to market merchandise featuring the characters of an animated cartoon his company hadn't even completed. The figure was particularly eye-popping for Matsumoto because it was 100 times what animated films earn on average from broadcasting rights in Japan. - One has to wonder why their aren't any regulations regarding corperate responsibility and minimun wage laws on this matter.