Japan To Conquer Metaverse With Its Kawaii Anime Avatars

As notable groups have already acknowledged the presence of the metaverse in Japan, this could come as one of the biggest in the world, knowing that they have globally-supported anime shows and popular AI celebrities.

(Photo : Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images)
KYOTO, JAPAN - JULY 21: A monitor shows the virtual Nijo-jo Castle in the metaverse during a preview of the Naked Summer Festival 2022 at Nijo-jo Castle on July 21, 2022 in Kyoto, Japan. The exhibition will make use of projection mapping and virtual events in the metaverse to display art at the UNESCO-listed historic castle from July 22 to Aug. 21.

Japanese Metaverse

Before technology became so advanced, we all know that Japan was very supportive of hand-drawn and computer-generated animation. Now that metaverse has gained its support globally. This country might have an edge over other markets.

Especially Japanese virtual idols have been very popular YouTube, like Hatsune Miku and Kizuna AI, which both have hundreds of thousands of subscribers to several platforms.

Government's Support

The Japanese government has already embraced this new technology. Last October, Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced that the country would be investing in digital transformation, as reported by Coin Desk. This includes the NFTs (non-fungible tokens) and several services related to the metaverse.

During his speech, he stated that the country will be focusing on promoting the expansion of Web3 services usage and that the government will be continuing its support for the social implementation of digital technology.

Meanwhile, several companies in the country are also in the middle of taking action to join the metaverse. Knowing that avatars and virtual worlds may boost their market, as they can earn profit from it. According to Japan Times, 15 exhibitors were present at CEATEC Japan 2022, which were all run by Metaverse Expo Japan.

A VR and AR services provider in Tokyo called Hikky has been booming lately in the country. This features a massive online event inspired by the streets of Tokyo, Paris, and Rio that combines pure fantasy that can only be seen in these virtual spaces. It also features anime characters that can interact with other users, play games, dance, and transfer from world to world.

Several brands have partnered with Hikky, including Yamaha, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities, Sony, NTT Docomo, SoftBank Corp, and more than 70+ participants. The Environment Ministry will also be joining, as they will all be participating in the VR's 2022 Winter Virtual Market.

Combining the support of the metaverse in the country and the global support that they have been receiving from its literature, Japan could be the most powerful in the metaverse. Matt Alt, author of 'Pure Invention: How Japan's Pop Culture Conquered the World', stated, " Japan is uniquely positioned to take advantage of metaverse-style experiences because of its character culture."

Facebook's Japanese division can also see how promising metaverse and the country's pop culture can interact with one another. Meta's Director of Mobile Partnerships for North Asia, Ryuhei Ogawa, stated, "Japan has lots of intellectual property, and avatars have been very popular here for a long time, so the 2D to 3D in terms of IP is relatively smoother than other countries."

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