MIPCOM Outlines Japan Country of Honour Showcase

PARIS: MIPCOM has unveiled its plans for the two-day conference program illustrating the best of the Japanese TV industry as part of the Japan Country of Honour showcase.

The Japan Market Overview will take place on Monday, October 17, at 9:30 a.m., with a session presented by Yosuke Ito, consultant at the Mitsubishi Research Institute, who will provide insights into the vibrant Japanese content market, current domestic trends and international opportunities. This will be followed by the discovery session Treasure Box Japan: World Premiere—Brand New Formats, at 10:10 a.m. The session will be moderated by Virginia Mouseler, CEO of content observatory The Wit.

Kazuo Hirai, the president and CEO of Sony Corporation, will deliver the first in a series of media mastermind keynotes on October 17 at 11:30 a.m. in the Grand Auditorium. Hirai will give MIPCOM delegates his vision of how a vertically integrated global corporation can continue to deliver in the multichannel age.

Tuesday, October 18, features the Japanese Documentary Showcase at 2:00 p.m., presented by Tokyo Docs, a pitching forum for documentary projects from Asia. Speakers include Ken-ichi Imamura, executive producer at NHK Enterprises, and Ann Julienne, the managing director of Doc Spinners, and the works showcased include documentary programs by broadcasters, production companies and independent filmmakers.

As 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of Japanese animation, the MIPCOM focus will include a look back at the history of the genre in Japan, and will introduce the latest shows through the Japanimation Out Of The Box session on Tuesday at 2:45 p.m. The speakers will be Rodrigo Mazon, the director of content acquisition for Netflix, and Taito Okiura, co-founder and president of David Production. This will be followed by Japanese Drama Beyond Borders on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m., during which two experts in Japanese drama will showcase some of the programs that have succeeded on the international stage, along with some brand-new international launches. Mathieu Bejot, executive director of TV France International, will be in conversation with Noriko Toishi, the producer with HJ Holdings.

Yoshiaki Yamada, general producer of MIPCOM 2016 Country of Honour Japan, said: “It is a great honor for Japan to be selected as the Country of Honour at MIPCOM 2016. Under the theme of the Spirit of Japanese Imagination, we will introduce the latest entertainment content from Japan, including cutting-edge technologies, through the conferences, receptions and exhibitions. We hope that our programs and events will help deepen MIPCOM delegates’ understanding of Japanese content and culture.”

The Country of Honour program is organized in partnership with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.