Japan is confronting an intensifying national debate over outsiders, including tourists, immigrants, and foreign workers, fueled by concerns about social cohesion, national identity, and economic stagnation. Talk of a “foreigner problem” is also increasingly shaping local politics. On March 2, 2026, the Asahi Shimbun reported on how the issue has emerged as a key point of contention in Japan’s gubernatorial races, citing new findings from the Stanford Japan Barometer (SJB).

SJB is a large-scale public opinion survey on political, economic, and social issues in Japan, co-developed and led by Stanford sociologist Kiyoteru Tsutsui, the director of APARC and the Japan Program, and Dartmouth College political scientist Charles Crabtree.

The Asahi Shimbun reporter, Mari Fujisaki, writes:

“Data also shows heightened election interest in ‘foreigner issues.’ The Japan Barometer – a Stanford University Japan Program online survey of thousands on Japanese society and politics – presented over 10 policy options in November 2022, April 2023, and February 2026 (twice), asking respondents to rate their level of support or opposition. Regarding one policy, ‘accepting foreign workers,’ opposition stood at 35.5% and 36.6% in 2022 and 2023, respectively. By contrast, in the two surveys conducted in February 2026, opposition rose to 53.1% and 53.4%, marking an increase of approximately 17 percentage points between 2022 and 2026. For most other items, opposition rates either decreased or remained unchanged, with increases limited to a few percentage points at most.”

You can view a PDF version of the article. The online version and further reporting by the Asahi Shimbun on the SJB’s latest survey findings are forthcoming. 

SJB has published findings on Japanese public opinions on issues ranging from national security policy and the Taiwan contingency to same-sex marriage, marital surname choices, and women's leadership. Learn more  >

On February 19, 2026, the Japan Program at the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC) hosted the conference Japan’s Global Content Industries: Innovations and Reinventions in Film, Animation, and Traditional Culture at Stanford University. The daylong event brought together creators, producers, craft leaders, and scholars to explore how Japan’s content industries – spanning anime, live-action film, music, wagashi confectionery, textiles, and traditional crafts – cultivate global audiences while sustaining cultural specificity.

In his opening remarks, APARC and Japan Program Director Kiyoteru Tsutsui framed the discussion around the durability of Japan’s content success. Rather than a passing trend, he suggested, the international appeal of Japanese media reflects a broader ecosystem rooted in storytelling traditions, institutional continuity, and cultural transmission across generations. He encouraged participants to consider the “five senses” as an analytic lens, signaling a conference attentive not only to market metrics and technological innovation but also to aesthetic experience.

Creativity and Global Expansion in Film and Anime

The morning session examined the global circulation of Japanese film and animation. Yosuke Kodaka, President of Aniplex of America, reflected on more than two decades of bringing anime to overseas audiences. When he entered the industry, he noted, anime was widely perceived as niche. Its transformation into a mainstream global medium was enabled by expanded “touchpoints,” digital platforms, music distribution, live events, and merchandising that integrated anime into everyday life.

Kodaka described the company’s role as connective – aligning creators and fans while coordinating licensing, music integration, and international partnerships. Localization, he emphasized, is not a secondary process but central to success. It begins at the earliest stages of thematic development and continues through scripting, translation, and subtitling. Effective localization, he said, depends less on mechanical accuracy than on the depth of engagement and interpretive sensitivity of those involved.

Responding to questions about demographic crisis in Japan, Kodaka emphasized that a shrinking domestic demand makes overseas expansion not merely a growth strategy but a strategic imperative for preserving creative integrity. Technology, including AI, may assist production workflows, but he maintained that core creativity remains irreducibly human.

Film producer Chieko Murata, a corporate executive at Myriagon Studio and producer of Kokuho, Japan’s highest-grossing live-action film, addressed structural challenges within Japan’s film industry. Drawing comparisons with France and South Korea, she highlighted the importance of branding, festival circuits, and financing frameworks in enabling international recognition. Major festivals, such as the Cannes Film Festival, function not only as artistic showcases but also as market validators, elevating global visibility and commercial value.

International breakthrough, Murata suggested, requires sustained investment, talent cultivation, and strategic positioning rather than reliance on singular comparisons to high-profile successes. While Japan’s domestic market remains comparatively large, entry into global circuits demands careful calibration of creative and financial decisions.

A fireside chat and musical performance with composer Go Shiina explored the affective dimensions of anime music. Known for his work on the Demon Slayer series, Shiina described composition as an interpretive process that begins with emotion rather than technique. He detailed how he constructs musical themes by first visualizing imagery, then layering melody, rhythm, and instrumentation to align with character development.

Notably, Shiina often blends traditional Japanese instruments with foreign musical influences. According to Shiina, this strategy creates accessibility without erasing cultural specificity. Technology may support composition, he noted, but the interpretive act – translating image and narrative into sound – remains grounded in human sensibility.

A subsequent panel discussion with the morning session speakers, moderated by Ichiya Nakamura, president of iUniversity and a leading figure himself in Japan’s digital innovation, cultural policy, and creative industries ecosystem, broadened the conversation to soft power and economic policy. Japan’s content industry, the panelists noted, now ranks among the country’s leading export sectors, with growth driven by games, anime, film, and music. Government initiatives and public-private partnerships aim to consolidate what has often been a fragmented ecosystem. Yet participants emphasized that scale alone is insufficient. Talent development, educational reform, and structural adaptation remain pressing concerns.

Tradition, Innovation, and Intergenerational Stewardship

The afternoon session shifted from contemporary media to traditional industries navigating global expansion. Opening remarks by Banjo Yamauchi, founder and CEO of Yamauchi-No.10 Family Office, framed the discussion around continuity and reinvention within multigenerational enterprises.

Mitsuharu Kurokawa, 18th-generation President of Toraya Confectionery, traced the confectioner’s history to the sixteenth century. Long associated with the imperial household and seasonal wagashi traditions, Toraya exemplifies what Kurokawa described as "innovation within continuity.” Archival recipe books from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries inform present-day production, while contemporary collaborations and overseas expansion reflect adaptation to new markets. For Kurokawa, final decisions, including taste, must remain unified to preserve coherence. Luxury, he suggested, is less about exclusivity than about cultivating joy through quality.

Sixth-generation craftsperson Takahiro Yagi of Kaikado reflected on the tactile intelligence embedded in handcrafted metal tea caddies. Subtle variations, like the slight resistance of a lid, the response to humidity, or the development of patina, differentiate handmade objects from machine-made uniformity. Such imperfections generate comfort and relational depth. Yagi described craftsmanship as collective rather than individual, a “we” sustained across generations and extended to global users who reinterpret the object’s meaning.

Masataka Hosoo, President of HOSOO Co., Ltd., addressed textile production amid pandemic constraints and shifting luxury markets. For Hosoo, core values center on beauty, material integrity, and cooperative exchange. Innovation must not sever ties to primary industries or ecological systems. Craft, he argued, can function as a countercurrent to extractive capitalism: preserving nature, honoring labor, and expanding aesthetic awareness beyond national boundaries.

A concluding panel with the afternoon session speakers, moderated by Yamauchi, returned to questions of succession and identity. Yamauchi reflected on the legacy of Nintendo, founded in 1889 as a playing card company, and the evolving role of founding families in contemporary corporate structures. Across sectors, from anime to wagashi to textiles, speakers converged on a shared principle: continuity depends not on static preservation but on disciplined reinterpretation. Core values endure, yet their expression must evolve in response to demographic change, global circulation, and technological transformation.

Cultural Ecosystems and Global Engagement

Throughout the conference, participants emphasized that the global success of Japan’s content industries is sustained by ecosystems rather than isolated products. Anime integrates music, licensing, and merchandising. Film relies on festival circuits and transnational financing. Traditional crafts negotiate between heritage and reinvention. Across these domains, localization, collaboration, and intergenerational stewardship function as structural pillars.

The conference demonstrated that Japan’s creative industries operate simultaneously as economic engines, cultural ambassadors, and sites of aesthetic experimentation. Whether through serialized animation, orchestral composition, seasonal sweets, or hand-hammered tea caddies, Japanese content continues to generate global engagement by aligning innovation with deeply rooted traditions.


Key Takeaways: Creative Processes, Enduring Values, Global Reach

• Japan’s global content success is driven by integrated ecosystems that connect production, distribution, music, licensing, and fan engagement.
• Localization is a foundational creative and strategic process, embedded from the earliest stages of content development.
• Technological advancement supports production, but human creativity and emotional interpretation remain central.
• Longstanding enterprises sustain relevance by adapting to new contexts while preserving core values.
• International expansion is now a structural necessity amid demographic decline and global competition.

This is the second of several articles—focusing on the 50-year history of SPICE—that will be posted this year. 

As noted in the article, “Celebrating SPICE’s 50th: SPICE’s Roots in the Bay Area China Education Project (BAYCEP),” that was written by Dr. David Grossman, founding director of SPICE, SPICE was established in 1976. Professor Daniel Okimoto joined Stanford in 1977, and I met him in 1988 when I joined SPICE. I had first heard of Professor Okimoto in fall 1972 during my freshman year in college. I read an excerpt, “The Intolerance of Success,” from his book, American in Disguise, that was reprinted in Roots: An Asian American Reader. During my first meeting with him, I learned that his family was incarcerated in the same concentration camp for Japanese Americans as my family during World War II. The camp was in Poston, Arizona. Okimoto was born in 1942 at the Santa Anita Assembly Center, a temporary detention facility for Japanese Americans. The detention facility was located at the Santa Anita Racetrack in Southern California, and Okimoto was born in a horse stable. From there, his family was moved and incarcerated in Poston. Since learning about this connection between Okimoto’s family and mine, I felt a strong personal connection to him.

Since the beginning of my time at SPICE, Professor Okimoto has been unwavering in his support of SPICE’s projects on U.S.–Japan relations and the Japanese American experience. He served as the Principal Investigator for multiple U.S.–Japan relations- and Japanese American-focused curriculum projects, the Reischauer Scholars Program (an online course that has been offered to high school students in the United States since 2004), and Stanford e-Japan (an online course that has been offered to high school students in Japan since 2015). One of SPICE’s most popular multimedia offerings is “An Interpretive History of Japan,” which is based on six lectures by Okimoto. Through these projects, I also established a strong professional connection to him.

Professor Okimoto has been an incredible champion for the Reischauer Scholars Program from its inception, rallying other U.S.–Japan experts and leaders to back our mission of teaching and inspiring the next generation of young scholars to strengthen ties between the United States and Japan. Over the past 20+ years, his guidance and example as a mentor have shaped me as a teacher and profoundly strengthened a vibrant community of educators and students.—Naomi Funahashi, Reischauer Scholars Program instructor

Prof. Daniel Okimoto has championed the Stanford e-Japan Program since its inception. In addition to providing some of the lectures for the initial cohorts, Dan was also generous with his time and knowledge with high school students in Japan through guest speaking in Virtual Classrooms.—Waka Takahashi Brown and Meiko Kotani, Stanford e-Japan Program instructors

Importantly, numerous SPICE staff (past and present) have studied under Okimoto, including Dr. Mariko Yang-Yoshihara, an educational researcher and instructor for SPICE whose primary advisor was Okimoto. She noted the following: “Having Dan Okimoto as my doctoral advisor was one of the greatest blessings in my life. What I gained from his mentorship both as a student and as a person was immense, and two moments in particular stay with me today. The first was the Japanese Imperial couple’s visit to the Stanford campus in 1994. Dan’s role as Stanford’s leading Japan expert often meant welcoming distinguished visitors from around the world; and on that occasion, he chose to share something deeply personal, that he had been born in a horse stable as his family was sent to a concentration camp. And in response, Empress Michiko called him ‘another great man born in a horse stable.’ This brief exchange stayed with me through my time as a student as it felt like a real glimpse into my advisor’s life as a Japanese American scholar, carrying the weight of history while still holding onto the quiet warmth of our shared humanity. The second anecdote came shortly after 9/11, when so many of us were grappling with fear and uncertainty of the future. As I sat in his office, anxious and overwhelmed, Dan said very little except, very quietly, ‘I worry about the Muslim American community.’ In that moment, I came to understand how deeply his own experiences had shaped how he cares for the world: amid a national crisis, his heart instinctively focused on vulnerable communities. These were the moments from which I learned the most as his student: lessons in humanity and empathy. They have since become the foundation of the learning goals in the courses I teach. I hope that our work at SPICE will honor and carry forward Dan’s legacy by developing curricula that shed light on the Japanese American experience and nurture empathy and a sense of shared humanity in future generations.”

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On behalf of the SPICE staff, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Professor Okimoto for his unwavering support of SPICE. As someone who was born in a horse stable and unjustly incarcerated as a child without due process by his own country—along with approximately 120,000 people of Japanese descent, two thirds of whom were U.S. citizens—and is now Professor Emeritus of Stanford University, he remains a tremendous role model and inspiration to us at SPICE. He and his wife, Michiko, are still contributing greatly to U.S.–Japan relations through organizations like the Silicon Valley Japan Platform and the U.S.-Japan Council. They worked closely with the late Secretary Norman Mineta (left) and the late Senator Daniel Inouye (center); photo above courtesy of Daniel Okimoto. Like Okimoto, Secretary Mineta was also incarcerated by his country as a child during World War II. Senator Daniel Inouye was a Medal of Honor recipient for his service in the U.S. Army during World War II. Like Okimoto, Mineta and Inouye were also recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun. 

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My time in the Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan program was transformative. I came in with a jumble of passions and questions about the world and left with lifelong friends across the world, invaluable mentoring, and a clear vision.

Every session was a journey in and of itself. It combined strong individual and team preparation, presentations to and from amazing guest speakers, and reflective discussions at the end. This constantly pushed me and my peers to grow into better critical thinkers, speakers, listeners, and team players; high expectations yielded high results. I was amazed by the diversity of the guest speakers and the topics we dove into: design thinking, AI & philosophy, sustainability, and more. Each gave me new world perspectives and challenged me to think in ways I hadn’t before. I began pondering upon questions such as “How does this choice impact the world around me?” “Does philanthropy benefit the rich more than the underprivileged?” “How can we navigate a world of AI?” This in turn has helped me view entrepreneurship as something inherently social, a means of designing thoughtful solutions to real problems and ultimately making a positive difference in the world.

One of my most memorable moments was the final group presentation, where we advocated for a charitable organization that would receive a donation if picked by the judges. My group chose The Ocean Cleanup and devoted ourselves to understanding the socio-environmental consequences of plastic pollution, as well as presenting it in a way that would resonate with our audience. I vividly remember calling my group members past 2am one night out of pure excitement and motivation, giving feedback on each other’s slides and encouraging one another. We ended up winning! But even more than that, I am truly grateful for the relationships that SeEJ has gifted me.

In fact, as one of the few students living in the United States, I was so honored to share a screen with people from Okinawa to Hokkaido. So much so that I decided to create a Canvas announcement titled “SeEJ Hangout in Tokyo!!!!” Mission accomplished: I got to spend a few hours with my peers in person (in Shibuya!) after three months of Zoom boxes, which was an incredible and unforgettable experience.

SeEJ allowed me to embark on a journey of self-discovery as well. Through the individual research paper and 2-minute video on a social issue of choice—core pillars of SeEJ—I discovered my passion for nuclear disarmament. Growing up listening to my hibakusha (atomic bomb survivor) grandfather’s childhood stories, I never fully realized the power of his voice and my own. (Photo below courtesy of Erin Tsutsui.) Through SeEJ, I was able to name this passion and imagine a concrete path forward. Now, I commit myself to dismantling the mindset and weaponry that allows war to exist, as I am building a youth-led initiative that mobilizes and educates youth to spread hibakusha stories by utilizing digital media and grassroots engagements.

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None of this could have been possible without the generosity and dedication of our instructor, Dr. Makiko Hirata, and the incredible lineup of guest speakers who graciously shared their time, stories, and wisdom with us. They instilled in us empathy, bravery, tenacity, and a deep responsibility to care for our people and planet; I now see myself and my peers as visionaries, each with our own unique background and goals.

I thank Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan for teaching me that at the core of social entrepreneurship is community and humanity. One of our guest speakers, Ms. Megan Carroll, taught us a South African word that embodies this spirit: ubuntu—“I am because we are.”

Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan is one of several online courses offered by SPICE.

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