Japan to Create Digital Archive of Manga, Anime and Games, Seeking Further Boost to Its Soft Power
Tourists take photos at a railway crossing, aiming to re-create a scene in the opening of the anime 'Slam Dunk,' in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, in September 2023.
The government is set to launch a new 'digital archive strategy' aimed at preserving and promoting Japan's trove of such cultural assets as manga, anime and video games, which are immensely popular among young people worldwide.
The initiative seeks to digitize these cultural treasures and add them to a database, thereby boosting Japan's soft power and attracting people from all over. The government also aims to promote the online distribution of local arts and cultural properties, with the goal of fostering regional revitalization.
The strategy is the first of its kind to be formulated by the government. It outlines a framework and policy for initiatives over a five-year period, from fiscal 2026 to 2030. Work on the strategy began when an expert panel was established in March last year.
Two key areas are prioritized. Namely, 'media arts,' which include manga, anime and video games and which have added to Japan's soft power thanks to their global acclaim; and 'regional resources,' which encompasses cultural properties and works of art with a high tourism potential.
Within the media arts domain, the strategy outlines the establishment of a national media arts center, which will be tasked with collecting and preserving original manga drawings and animation cells and creating a comprehensive database for these items.
In recent years, anime and manga fans have increasingly sought to visit the real-world settings of their favorite stories. The government wants to boost tourism in regions that have these connections by encouraging fans from around the world to visit.
To improve the digital preservation and distribution of regional resources, the government will collaborate more closely with local municipalities using Japan Search. This portal allows users to search the materials held by libraries, museums and other institutions nationwide all at once.
The strategy emphasizes that local communities should lead the decision-making process for preserving local cultural and artistic works, with municipalities playing a central role in expanding and utilizing digital archives.
This initiative is expected to have a spillover effect, encouraging domestic and international enthusiasts to, after seeing the digitized version of a digital cultural asset, pay a visit to wherever the asset is located. Furthermore, the government aims to document cultural properties as a safeguard against large-scale disasters, ensuring their preservation for future generations.
The strategy mirrors efforts by the European Union, which has been developing platforms for cultural assets for some time. 'We want to have a system on par with Europe's in the next 10 years,' said a Japanese government official.
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