Summary
-
The Japan's Fair Trade Commission examines complaints about unfair practices in the anime industry.
-
Animators in Japan are joined as freelancers of the productions and have investigations into low wages and inappropriate working conditions.
-
The UN report reveals the low salary differences of the animators with industry gains and leads to reactions from industry associations.
The working conditions of animators in Japan have long been a topic of heated debate – while large studios are investing in AI today and “lack of work”, animators have loudly over low wage and exhaustive work routines.
For example for many fans Studio Mappa (Chainsaw manPresent Jujutsu Kaisen) is like a symbol for this due to the long history of the controversy that affect the work environment of the studio. Even if most of the accusations are true, Mappa would probably be one of many with similar practices.
Related
Is there an “anime bubble” on the edge of the place?
Some industry experts seem to believe that the anime industry is a bladder that could soon burst. Do we have any signs?
On January 29, JThe Apan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) – the regulatory authority of the state competition in the country – announced that they are examining allegations of unfair practices in the entertainment industry (especially anime and film industry).
What exactly is this investigation for?
The The focus of this investigation is transactions between “creative” (such as animators, but they could affect manga authors who licens their work on adjustments and possibly outsourced studios) and production companies -So, it may also sound strange for some (like animators that would be workers), many animators probably compete as a freelancer or subcontractor, so that their relationship with companies is technically one of transactions/businesses and not of employers.
The Agency does not claim that there is abuse or exploitation in the industry, but it tries to understand the overall picture – This is only a survey for the time being. They ask the creators to submit relevant information for their investigation, and production companies can probably react to any claim.
On the official website, the agency claims that it should support and help the creators to create an environment in which it can maximize its potential. According to Asahi Shimbun, you would like to check whether profits are “properly returned”, but still understand the scenario.
The problems to be examined include unfair, low wages that may be forced by customers, inappropriate inquiries about repetitions without compensation, cancellations without clear reasons, complicated schedules, etc.
Anime industry against animators and the UN
In May 2024, the United Nations revealed a report in which they attentive to the inequality between the annual average content of animators (1.5 million yen) and the profits on the anime market (2.74 trillion yen) and other topics in the industry made.
The Association of Japanese animations (Aja), which represents the production companies, replied and claimed that animators work an average of 50 hours a week, less than the legal maximum (54 hours a week), based on a report by Nippon Anime & 2023 Film Culture Association (NAFCA), an organization that focuses on improving working conditions in the industry.
However, NAFCA replied to Aja and claimed that they calculated the number with a more positive approach and that the average hours are animators per week around 53 (median values are less susceptible to extreme values than the average values), which is despite being below the legal maximum An alarming number per animetomic. NAFCA also claims that the average hourly wages of the animators under Tokios is a minimum wage.
The Japan Fair Trade Commission is still asking for “creative” to submit information to understand the overall picture.
Source: Automaton Media, Asahi Shimbum
