Analysis On The Globalization Of Japanese Animation Industry

Animation industry is a modern cultural industry, which involeves cartoon books, movies, television, audio-visual products and even toys, stationery, electronic games, clothing, food etc. based on animation. Animation industry is creation-oriented, which makes profit mainly via priceless copyrights. Because of its promising feature, animation industry is regarded as the "smokeless heavy industry" and 21st century's "sunrise industry".In recent years, Japanese animation has won the attention of the whole world. Nearly 60%of the world's cartoons are produced by Japan, making it the largest animation exporting country. There has been an upsurge of Japanese animation and its related products sold all over the world. In 2002, Japanese animation surprised the the whole world with its Oscar winner Spirited Away. And that's when we start to rethink the reasons that enable Japanese animation to rock the international market.This thesis first define the globalization of animation industry and then give a detailed introduction of the development and great achievements of Japanese animation globalization. Afterwards, Japan's strategies of animation globalization are further analyzed. Finally, the thesis compares the differences between the animation industries both in Japan and China, thus putting forward five main propositions for the better development of China's animation industry.The thesis consists of seven chapters:The first chapter is a brief introduction to the outline and research questions of the whole thesis.The second chapter gives a clear defination of animation industry and its globalization. Afterwards, a detailed analysis of the major features and functions of animation industry is also given. The major features of animation industry are: originality, high investment, high increment, high risk and high technology content. In addition, the two prominent functions of animation industry can be concluded as economic value and cultural value.The third chapter reviews the process of Japanese animation industry globalization and points out its main features. The process of Japanese animation industry globalization can be divided into three stages, each of which is represented by a cartoon. Astro Boy was the first Japanese cartoon to be well received in the United States in the 1960s. Then in the 1990s, Pocket Monsters made great profit in the global market. In 2002, the Oscar winner Spirited Away caused a sensation all over the world.The fourth chapter analyze the four key strategies of Japanese animation industry globalization thoroughly. The key strategies are:the whole industry cooperate to expand the global market, emphasize the importance of technology development and creation, encourage exporting and adopt flexible distribution. All the forementioned strategies are strongly supported by Japanese government, which makes Japan one of the most important animation exporting countries.The fifth chaper introduces thoroughly the great achievements of Japanese animation industry globalization and predicts its future development. The rapid globalization of Japanese animation has benefited Japan in two ways. It not only upgrades the industrial structure of Japan, but also promote Japan's exporting. Based on the current development of Japanese animation industry, it may be predicted that international cooperation will be enhanced and the revolution of thchnologies will still be the most important impetus of animation industry.The sixth chapter indicates the four major problems of China's current animation industry. Compared with Japanese animation industry, the thesis aims to put forward practical suggestions for the development of Chinese animation industry. The four suggestions are:increase government support, cultivate more animation talents, upgrade China's industrial structure, encourage international cooperation.The seventh chapter is the conclusion of the whole thesis. Five major conclusions can be drawn based on the thesis:(l)animation industry is a prominent part of cultural industry, whose development can promote a country's soft power. (2)the perfection of the animation industrial chain is the key of Japanese animation industry's success. (3) the progress of technology and originality are the two major impetus of animation industry. (4) the promotion of animation industry not only upgrade the internal industrial structure, but also promote international trade. (5) international cooperation of animation industry will deepen in the near feature.