“Anime is the industry of people” – Industry people discuss the future of the anime industry, starting from Kochi, created by local and young people.

As part of the Anime Creators’ Holy Land Project, Kochi Prefecture held the Kochi Aniguri Festival on April 5th and 6th. As a related event, the 4th of the previous day, the “Anime Spirit Summit” was held in Kochi, where domestic anime and manga-related people such as manga publishers and anime studios gather in Kochi to exchange opinions. The summit attracted a wide range of industry people, from manga publishers such as Shueisha and KADOKAWA to representatives of anime studios, and exchanged opinions to help develop anime talent and revitalize the industry in Kochi Prefecture and the provinces.

During the summit, a panel discussion was also held, bringing together experts. Currently, the anime industry is calling for a shortage of talent, and there is a growing trend towards demanding talent in rural areas. Kochi Prefecture is also one of the local governments that is actively promoting the attraction of anime studios. In Kochi, people involved had a lively discussion on the theme of “I’ll seriously think about it. Regarding the development of anime creators.”

The speakers are as follows:

• Kondo Shinji (Managing Director, Director of the Japan Video Association)

• Inoue Shinichiro (Director of Honorary Academy of KADOKAWA Anime, Voice Actor Academy, Representative of ENJYU LLC)

• Ochiai Satoshi (Chief of Japan Animation Production Department)

• Watanabe Ayumu (animation director)

• Matsukura Yuji (JCSTAFF Executive Officer, Chief Producer)

• Yoshimoto Daiki (Representative Director of Yoshimoto 3D Factory)

• Uda Hideo (President of Studio Eight Colors)[Modern]