Thailand the top market in Southeast Asia for animated content from Japan
THAILAND IS ranked No 1 among Southeast Asian countries for its high level of involvement in animation-related business from Japan, according to the Japan External Trade Organisation (Jetro).
“Thailand has a very strong relationship with Japan, while Thai people still have high purchasing power to consume Japanese cultural and entertainment content – and they are keen on travelling to Japan. Those key factors are still supporting Japan’s entertainment industry to grow in this country,” Tomoko Masuda, director for the creative industries division and service industry department at Jetro in Tokyo, said yesterday.
In terms of business contracts inked between Japanese media and entertainment companies and overseas partners, the Kingdom’s entertainment businesses have sealed a total of 54 deals to date with Japan’s leading animation companies, ranking Thailand the No-6 overseas market for Japan’s animation content distribution.
The five leading country’s in this respect are South Korea and the United States, with 78 contracts each, Taiwan (76), mainland China (64) and Canada (57). When it comes to contracts landed by Southeast Asian countries, Thailand leads the way, followed by Singapore and Malaysia.
Masuda added that apart from animation, businesses related to character/merchandising and licensing were also still on the rise, in line with music distribution.
Jetro has therefore joined forces with the “Anime Festival Asia (AFA)” to organise the “J-POP Signature” event in Bangkok over this weekend.
Hiroki Mitsumata, president of Jetro Bangkok, described the event as the key business platform for Thai and Japanese entertainment companies to open a dialogue and engage in business-matching.
It is expected that 11 leading entertainment, music and animation companies will meet 50 local buyers at “J-POP Signature”, he said.
The event forms part of a series of marketing and promotional activities to encourage the international market to consume Japanese cultural and entertainment products under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s “Cool Japan” initiative.
The Japanese government aims to generate ฅ18 trillion (Bt6.22 trillion) annually from exporting its entertainment to the world by 2025, representing 3 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product.
