Tokyo’s TIFFCOM Announces Panels On Anime Co-Production And Overseas Sales

Next month, during the Tokyo International Film Festival, TIFFCOM — the festival’s industry component — will examine the anime industry’s overseas growth and future prospects in two newly announced panels. Both sessions will explore the relationship between anime and international audiences, looking at recent export data and opportunities for global partnerships.

The first session, Japanese Animation’s Global Expansion: 2025 Overseas Sales Update and Strategies From Two Studios, will provide an overview of the Japanese animation industry and its continued international expansion.

Masahiro Hasegawa, editor-in-chief of the Anime Industry Report, will present the first public data on the domestic and overseas market sizes from the 2025 industry survey for the forthcoming Anime Industry Report 2026.

Organized by the Association of Japanese Animations, the session will also feature representatives from longtime studios Nippon Animation and Production I.G, who will discuss their strategies for global expansion. According to the event’s organizers, anime now accounts for one-third of Japan’s overseas content sales.

A second session, Beyond Distribution: Building Global Partnerships Through Co-Creation, will focus on international co-production models.

Moderated by Into Global program manager Masao Kawano, the panel will bring together Salamander CEO Taiki Sakurai, Foliascope CEO Ilan Urroz, and Robot Playground co-founder and CEO Ervin Han.

Han recently co-directed the Annecy-winning feature The Violinist, an international co-production involving partners across several countries. Robot Playground’s animated horror anthology A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts has also been selected for this year’s TIFFCOM Gap Financing Market.

Japanese Animation’s Global Expansion: 2025 Overseas Sales Update and Strategies From Two Studios

Opening remarks

• Kazuko Ishikawa, president of the Association of Japanese Animations and Nippon Animation

Speakers

• Masahiro Hasegawa, editor-in-chief of Anime Industry Report and professor at Senshu University’s School of Network and Information
• Hitomi Hiratsuka, director of international sales and productions at Nippon Animation
• Yoko Ueda, director of corporate administration and IP and communications at Production I.G

Moderator

• Megumi Onouchi, president of HumanMedia and vice chairman of the Association of Japanese Animations’ Human Resources Development Committee

Beyond Distribution: Building Global Partnerships Through Co-Creation

Speakers

• Taiki Sakurai, CEO of Salamander
• Ilan Urroz, CEO of Foliascope
• Ervin Han, co-founder and CEO of Robot Playground Media

Moderator

• Masao Kawano, program manager at Into Global