UK’s Creative Industries thrive in Japan

As the UK welcomes Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe this week, the government has praised the work that our thriving creative industries sectors produce, making it such a positive global export.

UK film and music sectors thriving in Japan as creative industries love affair between the two countries continues.

The UK’s creative industries are continuing to grow in the Japanese market, statistics reveal.

From Beauty and the Beast and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them topping the Japanese box office, to music releases from UK exports Adele and Ed Sheeran flying high, the love affair that the Japanese have for the UK’s creative industries shows no sign of letting up.

Across film, music and video games the UK and Japan share a huge common interest. In 2016 Japan accounted for £325 million of the UK creative industry service exports, up from £226 million in 2015. These are any services that are exported including advertising and marketing.

Creative Industry export goods, which includes things like handbags, printed books, paintings and sculptures, to Japan in 2016 were also worth £155 million, which was up from £146 million the year before.

Minister for Digital and the Creative Industries Margot James said:

The UK’s creative and cultural output is one of our biggest exports and the Japanese market continues to love what we have to offer.

From seeing our latest blockbusters on screen, to listening to rip roaring live music acts and playing our latest video games – it’s clear that creative industries love affair between Japan and the UK continues.

And that affection is shown in the UK too, with over £100 million of creative industry goods imported into our shores every year. I look forward to seeing this partnership continue to grow for many years to come.

In 2017 the box office take for UK films shown in Japan was $424.3 million. Two British films Beauty and the Beast and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them topped the charts with 9.5 million and 5.6 million admissions respectively.

Japan’s love of UK music continues to be a success with UK labels earning an estimated £18.5 million from Japan in 2017. It was 5th largest marker in terms of UK revenues behind the USA, Germany, France and Australia. The biggest selling album by a British act was Divide by Ed Sheeran.

The UK’s video games industry also has strong links with Japan with UK benefitting from major investment by leading companies including SEGA and Sony Interactive Entertainment.

The UK game Overcooked 2 co-developed by Team17 and Ghost Town Games in Wakefield is also proving popular in Japan as it was voted the most recommended game by Nintendo Switch players last August.