"Tokyo International Anime Fair 2011" cancelled due to earthquake - Animation Talent Network

"Tokyo International Anime Fair 2011" Cancelled Due to Earthquake —— Animation Talent Network

According to information obtained by Animation Talent Network (http://dm.job1001.com), the organizing committee of the Tokyo International Anime Fair announced at noon on March 16 that due to the impact of the strong earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the "Tokyo International Anime Fair 2011," originally scheduled to take place in Tokyo from March 24 to March 27 this year, will be canceled.

The announcement from the organizing committee stated that due to the influence of the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred on March 11, the power supply and transportation conditions at the venue were unstable, with the possibility of aftershocks. Considering the personal safety of representatives from participating companies and visitors, the organizers made the final decision to cancel the event.

The Tokyo International Anime Fair is Japan's largest international anime exhibition, first held in 2001, making this year its 10th edition. The fair serves multiple functions, including promoting new anime works, facilitating academic exchanges within the industry, introducing creative talent, and recognizing outstanding works. Beyond promotional displays, it is also an important international business recruitment activity, thus drawing attention from the global animation industry. China had previously participated in the exhibition twice, and this year was also prepared to participate under the leadership of the Ministry of Culture.

This year’s Tokyo International Anime Fair faced numerous issues from the start. In December last year, the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly passed a revised version of the "Youth Healthy Development Ordinance," which caused strong dissatisfaction among Japanese publishers. As a result, ten major publishers, including Kadokawa Shoten, Shogakukan, Shueisha, and Kodansha, successively announced their withdrawal from the "Tokyo International Anime Fair 2011," led by the Mayor of Tokyo as the operational chairman. Subsequently, these publishers independently organized the "Anime Information Exhibition," competing directly with the Tokyo fair. Affected by these events, the official list of exhibitors and schedule for the "Tokyo International Anime Fair 2011" were only finalized in mid-February this year.

Following the disaster on March 11 in Japan, besides the damage caused by the earthquake and tsunami, there was also a nuclear power plant accident, leading to a shortage of electricity and severely affecting the normal conduct of commercial activities. Due to various unforeseen circumstances, the organizing committee of the Tokyo International Anime Fair ultimately announced the cancellation of the event, marking the first interruption since its establishment.

Animation Talent Network believes that the cancellation of this year’s Tokyo International Anime Fair due to the earthquake disaster will have a significant impact on Japan's overseas animation business. The first two days of the four-day exhibition period are reserved for professional audiences, during which a large number of business negotiation activities related to overseas partners take place. Besides the exhibiting companies, buyers and media from various countries also gather in Tokyo during these two days, but all their plans will be canceled due to the exhibition's cancellation, which will undoubtedly deal a heavy blow to Japan's animation industry.

Animation Talent Network also pointed out that due to the successive cancellations of large-scale anime exhibitions, opportunities for promoting new anime works this year in Japan will be significantly reduced, and the sales of related video products and merchandise may no longer proceed according to plan. The shadow cast by the earthquake disaster will likely linger over Japan's animation enterprises for a long time.