Urban Cultural Strategy and Japanese Animation in Nerima

Culture is now implemented for urban economic development in many advanced countries. Urban cultural strategy, trying to attract investment and human capital, became popular in Western cities from 1980s. At that time, former industrial cities suffered from economic decline. In contrast, Japanese cities had enjoyed economic prosperity because of industrial growth, especially the R&D and Hi-tech industry. But from mid 1990s most Japanese cities including Tokyo began to gradually lose the industrial base because new international division of labor had deepened. So new plans for economic development were needed in Japanese cities around the end of the 1990s and culture became to be recognized as a resource for urban competitiveness. In this presentation, I will show detailed case of Nerima Ward, Tokyo. Because many animation companies concentrate in Nerima ward, the local government is encouraging animation industries and trying to reconstruct Nerima’s image as Anime Town. It is based on a partnership with Nerima Animation Association, the trade association of anime companies in Nerima. I intend to explain how and why this partnership is formed and policy measures are implemented. Therefore, it is needed to focus on the flow of event that affects the recent situation. It is shown that a civil group that aims to construct a museum for Japanese animation and chamber of commerce played major role to prepare institutional base for recent policies from the mid-1990s. Although they cooperated to lobby for public supports for animation and achieve significant results, they dissolved their partnership. I point there is a tension between culture and commerce. It affects policy formation and inter-organizational relationship in Nerima.