Japanese, Thai Firms Form JV

TOKYO/BANGKOK: Japanese entertainment firm Nikkatsu is teaming with Nippon TV and Thailand's Kantana Group to form a joint venture that will be involved in computer graphics and animation, among other activities.

Kantana Japan Corporation will primarily work on obtaining Japanese clients for computer graphics services, but will also work on animation co-production. It will be majority owned by Nikkatsu, Japan's oldest major movie studio, holding 51 percent. Thailand's Kantana Group will hold 39 percent of the new company. Nippon will hold 10 percent.

"With Southeast Asia as our base, we will endeavor to develop and expand various production-related businesses," the companies said in a statement. "The establishment of this joint venture is a culmination of Kantana Group’s vision to expand their presence in Japan and the rest of Asia, combined with Nikkatsu’s and Nippon TV’s strategy to develop new businesses in the areas of computer graphics and animation production."