Japan's former foreign minister Fumio Kishida recently won the race to head Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, putting him in position to replace Yoshihide Suga, who is stepping down as the nation's prime minister. Kishida recently revealed that he is an enthusiastic Demon Slayer fan and promised to support manga and anime creators.
Kishida, who often uses the kishidaBOX hashtag on social media to engage with supporters, recently revealed that he is an anime fan. When asked if he saw the Demon Slayer film, Kishida stated that he hadn't seen the film, but that he read the entire manga and that his favorite character is Akaza. He later stated that he is (translated from Japanese) "working on raising the income of the people involved in Japan's 'soft power' industries like manga, anime, and movies."
Responses to Kishida's promise have generally been positive, though there is some argument as to the benefits of allocating state funds to support anime and manga, which the latest figures show have seen a drop in revenue in the last two years. Moreover, they earn a miniscule percentage of the nation's GDP (approximately $5.12 trillion). It's worth noting that Demon Slayer — Kimetsu no Yaiba — The Movie: Mugen Train shook cinemas worldwide and became the most successful anime film in the U.S, earning $503 million at the box office worldwide. When it comes to anime, reports previously suggested an industry average of $19 billion in 2017 alone. Earnings dropped by 1.2 percent during 2020.
Kishida has inherited a list of major issues from his predecessor, including the growing consequences of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and balancing relations with both China -- which has grown increasingly hostile toward Japan -- and the U.S.
Source: Yahoo Japan
