TIFFCOM Chief Says Japan Should Copy the Hollywood Distribution Playbook
Japan should follow the Hollywood distribution model, Yasushi Shiina, chief executive of TIFFCOM, told Variety.
Shiina said Japanese companies should keep ownership of their intellectual property, or IP, meaning the characters, stories and worlds behind a film, show or game. He also said they should take an active part in international distribution, the work of getting films and shows into cinemas and onto screens abroad, and make the most of what those properties can earn.
His example was Hollywood. He said the big American studios reached global scale by setting up their own distribution operations country by country and dealing with each market directly.
TIFFCOM is the content market linked to the Tokyo International Film Festival. It is a trade event where companies that make and sell films, series and other entertainment meet buyers and partners. The event is heading into its 23rd edition.
The stakes are large for the Japanese government. It has set a target of JPY20 trillion ($126.6 billion) in overseas content sales by 2033, and it expects anime to bring in JPY6 trillion ($38 billion) of that total, according to Variety.
The IP holders attending include anime studios, publishers, game companies and toy makers. Last year's edition grew to a record 322 exhibitors, according to Variety's 2025 report.
Registration is moving on a fixed timetable. According to TIFFCOM's website, exhibitor registration for 2026 has closed, and advance visitor registration is closed too. Walk-in visitor registration opens on 27 October.
The event also has partners abroad. The Tokyo Gap-Financing Market, a part of TIFFCOM where film projects look for the last money they need, has a collaboration with Italy. It also has a partnership with Frontieres, a Canadian outfit that focuses on genre films such as horror and science fiction. TIFFCOM has also taken its Tokyo IP Market to the Cannes Film Market in France.
Screen Daily reports that TIFFCOM's leaders have discussed putting a spotlight on IP, co-production and AI. Co-production means two or more countries sharing the cost and credit of making a film.
For anyone outside the industry, the message is simple. Japan's biggest animated and game characters are sold worldwide, and the people running TIFFCOM want more of the money from them to stay in Japan. Whether that model takes hold will play out in deals made in the coming years.
