Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has announced a major governmental push to support the international expansion of Japanese music and broader cultural industries, positioning them as part of Japan’s long-term economic strategy.
In a post published on X (formerly Twitter) on December 4th, Takaichi described music alongside manga, anime, and games as a “strategic industry”, noting that their overseas markets are already approaching the scale of Japan’s semiconductor sector. Drawing on a supplementary budget of more than 55 billion yen approved by Cabinet decision, the government plans to work with the private sector over multiple years toward a 20 trillion yen target for overseas content sales by 2033.
“We will create a future in which Japanese music resonates across diverse markets”, she wrote, naming Asia, Europe, and North America as key regions where artists can hold live performances and take part in exchange activities. The initiative extends beyond music, with Takaichi stating that creators in manga, anime, and games will also receive support to build “connections” with the world through what she called the power of culture.
Her post comes at a time when the government is reassessing how cultural fields fit into its wider economic plans. For more than a decade, cultural promotion has sat under the Cool Japan banner, which the government updated in 2024 with a long-term export target of 20 trillion yen by 2033. According to government data, content exports were around 4.7 trillion yen in 2022 (roughly 30 billion US dollars). Takaichi’s latest comments place music more directly within that framework and highlight the use of fiscal support to expand overseas activity.
日本の才能あふれるアーティストの皆様が、より多くの国でライブや交流を実現できるよう、政府は海外展開支援を強化します。アジア、欧州、北米など多様な市場で、日本の音楽が響く未来を創ります。…
— 高市早苗 (@takaichi_sanae) December 4, 2025
The announcement also fits into a broader communication strategy that leans on pop culture as a diplomatic asset. Just days earlier, at the Tokyo meeting of the Saudi-led Future Investment Initiative, Takaichi quoted the manga series Attack on Titan in a call for international investors to back Japan. “Just shut your mouths. Invest everything in me”, she said, before declaring “Japan is back. Invest in Japan”.
Since taking office in October as Japan’s first female prime minister, Takaichi has repeatedly highlighted manga, anime, and games as national strengths, tying them to both economic security and growth. Her latest statement on X suggests that recorded music and live touring are now being drawn more explicitly into that agenda, with the government committing to work “together with artists and creators” to secure a larger share of the global market.
Although Japanese music has a long-standing international following, the domestic industry has traditionally focused on physical sales and local activity, while South Korea’s tightly coordinated K-pop strategy has set the pace in terms of exports.
Recent developments such as the launch of MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN, supported by CEIPA and the Agency for Cultural Affairs, indicate that government and industry are starting to move in the same direction on international strategy. Streaming platforms are also increasingly important, with Spotify reporting that about half of Japanese artists’ revenue on the service now comes from outside Japan, most of it from songs performed in Japanese.
The exact implementation timeline and programme details for music-specific support have yet to be set out, though the post indicates that the government intends to take a more direct role in overseas music promotion.
AloJapan.com