As Tokyo International Film Festival has raised its game and its profile over recent years, its content market TIFFCOM has been carving out its own niche, bolstered by the attractiveness of Japanese IP.

On top of attracting more exhibitors and visitors, the market has expanded its seminar offerings, landing bigger industry names to speak at them.

In addition to the popularity of anime, the potential of manga and gameshow IP, and the success of Japan -related productions like Shōgun , interest in Japan itself is at an all-time high – nearly 43 million people visited last year. This concatenation of factors is delivering a boost to the fest and the market, acknowledges TIFFCOM managing director Kaori Ikeda.

“It definitely is…Tokyo is probably one of the most fascinating cities in the world, and Japan is enjoying a boom.…