Atsuhiro Iwakami, newly appointed in April as president of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan), says Japan’s entertainment industry stands at an inflection point: decades of domestic success meet new pressure to turn global attention into lasting fandom. Drawing on a career that began in 1997 and includes leadership of Aniplex and production credits on titles such as Demon Slayer and Sword Art Online, he outlines what the industry must do next to turn international curiosity into sustainable markets.
From anime executive to head of a diversified music group
Iwakami’s rise traces back to the late 1990s, when the unit that became Aniplex moved into animation and began pairing music tightly with visual projects. Over the years he has overseen production and music development across high-profile franchises, giving him a rare vantage: he now leads a company that stretches from artist management and recorded music to live events, licensing and packaged media.
The corporate map under his watch includes record labels, a licensing arm handling global properties, and operations that run venues and fan communities. Recent title-level collaborations—where film, streaming platforms and in-house distribution were coordinated for worldwide release—illustrate how the group is shifting from internal information-sharing to concrete commercial partnerships for individual IP.
Two tasks: create and carry
Iwakami frames the industry’s challenge as dual: first, keep producing work that genuinely excites audiences; second, build the infrastructure to carry those works to the world. He argues content quality can’t be outsourced to marketing alone, but distribution and promotion can scale faster through cooperative efforts across companies and with public-sector support.
That balance matters now because Japanese policy and industry bodies are explicitly pushing for larger overseas revenues. Turning streaming spikes into enduring fanbases is the immediate business problem; turning those fanbases into sustainable revenue streams is the strategic one.
- Produce distinctive works: invest in storytelling and music that retain cultural identity while speaking to international tastes.
- Treat each IP individually: there’s no one-size-fits-all market — strategy should match the work and its likely regions.
- Convert streams into community: use live shows, merchandise, and fan engagement to deepen relationships beyond a single hit.
- Strengthen cross-industry ties: coordinate among labels, distributors, streaming platforms and overseas partners for aligned launches.
- Use data and timing: targeted marketing and regional timing matter as much as creative quality.
Why turning hits into fans is getting harder
Streaming has widened audiences but shortened attention cycles. Iwakami observes that where older audiences once dove deep into a creator’s catalog, many modern listeners experience a single track or title as a standalone moment. The market now supplies an overwhelming amount of content, and smartphones deliver a nonstop stream of alternatives.
That demographic and behavioral shift raises the cost of converting passive listeners into committed fans. He sees marketing, events and curated experiences as essential bridges: platforms can spark discovery, but long-term fandom still requires repeated, meaningful contact.
Regional strategy: no default priority
Asked where to focus, Iwakami rejects the notion of a single “most important” market. East Asia can share cultural affinities, the West may prize novelty, and Latin America or Europe can embrace genres for different reasons. Strategy should be adaptive: a city pop revival in the West might be organic and unpredictable, while other works benefit from targeted regional campaigns.
He emphasizes that unexpected hits will continue to emerge, sometimes without conventional strategy, and that the industry should make space for both planned rollouts and organic discovery.
MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN and cultural outreach
Iwakami praised the second edition of MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN as an example of how ceremonies can showcase cross-sector creativity and amplify Japan’s music abroad. Events that highlight crossover and collaboration help signal the depth of Japan’s creative industries to international audiences and industry peers.
Those moments also offer practical learning: how to package acts for foreign platforms, how to frame performances for global viewers, and how to coordinate media partners for a wider launch.
Domestic strength, gradual change
Japan’s market remains unusually large and self-sufficient, which affects internal mindsets. Many creators and executives are motivated first by domestic success, and the language barrier has both insulated and sharpened Japan’s cultural output. That insulation has produced distinctive works that overseas audiences now prize.
But demographic trends — a shrinking population and younger creators eyeing global stages — are nudging the industry outward. Iwakami points to recent international traction for acts such as YOASOBI and King Gnu, and notes live performances by veteran artists in cities like London as signs of appetite that can be built on.
Change, he says, is incremental: building a pattern of international successes over years will shift corporate culture and artists’ ambitions more reliably than sudden mandates.
What this means for readers and the industry
For consumers, the consequence is more curated experiences: global releases coordinated with tours, merchandise and localized marketing. For artists and executives, the takeaway is practical—invest in lasting engagement, not just viral moments.
In Iwakami’s view, Japan’s path to bigger global hits combines maintaining creative distinctiveness with smarter, more collaborative distribution. The goal is not to erase what makes the work Japanese, but to package and present it so foreign audiences can discover, understand and ultimately become loyal fans.
