Japan's anime industry has crossed a major milestone, with its global market reaching 4.45 trillion yen (around $28.2 billion) in 2025. This is the first time the market has gone beyond 4 trillion yen.
The industry recorded 15.8% growth compared with the previous year, according to the Association of Japanese Animations (AJA). The figures were presented at the TIFFCOM trade event in Tokyo. The market has more than doubled in value since 2015, when it stood at 1.8 trillion yen.
Global Demand Drives Sales
International sales played a major role in this growth, bringing in 2.54 trillion yen (around $16.1 billion) in 2025.
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The AJA's report includes earnings from films, television, streaming, home video, merchandise, music, concerts, events and overseas licensing. Streaming platforms such as Netflix have also helped Japanese anime reach more viewers around the world.
Popular films have added to this growth. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle was among the major releases that supported the industry's performance in 2025. The film earned around $800 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time.
Anime Studios Benefit
The report also showed that anime production companies are earning more from their work. Masahiro Hasegawa, editor-in-chief of the AJA's Anime Industry Report, said more studios are investing in their projects and keeping the rights to their content. This allows them to earn a share of the money made through overseas sales and licensing.
Japan's Target For 2033
The Japanese government wants to increase overseas sales of content such as anime, manga and video games to 20 trillion yen (around $127 billion) by 2033. It has also set a target of 6 trillion yen in overseas anime sales by the same year.
"The market and the potential of Japanese animation are expanding further, as it has become more familiar around the world," said Kazuko Ishikawa, president of the Association of Japanese Animations.
The latest figures show how Japanese anime is reaching more viewers worldwide and becoming an increasingly important part of the country's entertainment industry.
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