Yamamoto K. The Agglomeration of the Animation Industry in East Asia

Springer, 2014. — 152 p.This book will be of interest to scholars and students of Asian studies, cultural industries, economic geography, and related areas of study. It discusses the results of a microscopic survey focusing on topics such as how animation studios form business relationships and how workers gain skills in the industry. The methodology was based on traditional Japanese economic geographical methods. The study also examines macroscopic issues such as why industrial agglomerations are formed in metropolises, why metropolises develop mutual networks, and how a type of cultural product is created in the metropolises. The methodology uses case studies of the animation industries in Japan, South Korea, and China. The detailed analysis covers the process of the industry’s agglomeration within the East Asian metropolises of Tokyo, Seoul, and Shanghai as well as the division of labor among them. In addition, the transaction relationships among animation studios are examined, together with the promotion of the industry in the peripheral region of Okinawa, Japan. Differences in work styles and output among these cities are also examined. The research presented in this book contributes to understanding the spatial structure and reality of creativity in an innovative industry, particularly the East Asian content industry.Academic Context of the Animation Industry
Characteristics of the Content Industry
Studies of the Animation Industry
Overview of Agglomeration Theory Since the 1980s
Focus and Outline of This Book
Agglomeration of the Animation Industry in Tokyo, Japan
Growth in the Japanese Animation Industry
Transaction Characteristics
Characteristics of the Labor Market: Freelancers
Agglomeration of the Animation Industry in Seoul, South Korea
Development of the Animation Industry in Seoul
Characteristics of Interbusiness Transactions
Characteristics of the Labor Market
Agglomeration of the Animation Industry in the Shanghai–Wuxi Region, China
State of Development of the Chinese Animation Industry
Features of Business Between Studios
Characteristics of the Labor Market
Animation Workers and the Studio as a Creative Nexus in Tokyo: Studio M Workers’ Daily Activities
Survey and Analysis
Promoting the Animation Industry in Local Regions: A Case Study of Working Conditions at an Animation Studio in Okinawa
Establishment of the Studio and Industrial Promotional Policies Aimed at the Okinawa Animation Industry
Working Environments of the Okinawa Studio and Studio M
Generalities and Regionality Observed in the Agglomeration Structure of the Animation Industry in East Asia
General Factors Leading to the Agglomeration of the Animation Industry
Regionality of Agglomeration in the Animation Industry
Division of Labor Among Regions: The Role of Studios and Their Worker Networks
Contributions and Future Approaches