Jan Mitsuko Cash 🧭 ジェン・光子・キャッシュ

This may be a somewhat unfortunate observation, but the Japanese manga industry does not pay much attention to overseas markets. In a way, this situation is remarkably similar to Hollywood up until the 1980s. Hollywood films were global hits, yet their storytelling and visual style were clearly created primarily for American audiences and the domestic market. The reason becomes clear when you look at the revenue structure. The global manga market can be roughly divided into $5 billion in Japan’s domestic market and about $6 billion overseas. In terms of market size alone, the overseas market is actually larger than Japan’s domestic market. (Of course, the data may not be perfectly precise, and I appreciate your understanding.) However, from the perspective of mangakas, the situation looks very different. In Japan, royalties on tankōbon (collected volumes) are typically around 10%, whereas overseas royalties are usually only about 3%. This means that the total expected royalty income for Japanese manga artists is approximately: $500 million from the domestic market, but only about $200 million from overseas markets. (In reality, the situation is more complex—since not all domestic revenue comes from print volumes, and e-book royalty rates differ—but the overall conclusion remains the same: domestic earnings exceed $500 million.) If we look specifically at North America, the Japanese manga market there is about $1.1 billion, yet the expected returns to Japanese creators are only about one-fifteenth of what they earn in the domestic Japanese market. In short, while the overseas market is large, the income flowing back is relatively small. This is even more pronounced from the perspective of publishers. Because of this, Japanese manga—like Hollywood films before the 1990s—are not created with strong consideration for overseas audiences. Hollywood only began to seriously consider international audiences when direct distribution expanded in the 1990s. From that point on, the concept of “well-made” productions, designed for global appeal, began to emerge. Similarly, if Japanese manga begins to directly reach overseas markets through digital platforms, creators will naturally start to place greater importance on international readers. People often believe that works themselves shape the market—but in reality, it is usually the market that shapes the works and the mindset behind them. And in the 21st century, markets are shaped by VISION AND FORESIGHT. I recently saw an article suggesting that the Japanese government—specifically the Ministry of Education—is attempting a bold initiative in this direction. What will the future of manga look like? No one can say for certain. But it is clear that Japanese creators, readers, and publishers all need to begin preparing. Perhaps those who need to prepare the most are the existing overseas manga publishers. Every change is an opportunity. I hope you will keep that in mind and prepare for what lies ahead. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this long message. 5/5 P.S. I was planning to end this long message here, but as I was writing, a few more thoughts came to mind—so I’d like to continue a bit further.^^