Japan’s Global Content Industries: Innovations and Reinventions in Film, Animation, and Traditional Culture

Japan’s Global Content Industries: Innovations and Reinventions in Film, Animation, and Traditional Culture

Thursday, February 19, 2026
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
(Pacific)

Bechtel Conference Center 
Encina Hall, 1st Floor
616 Jane Stanford Way
Stanford, CA 94305

Parking
Click here for instructions on purchasing visitor parking. The closest visitor parking to Encina Hall can be found at the following:

  • Track House Lot (ParkMobile Parking Zone 7295)
  • Memorial Lot (ParkMobile Parking Zone 7213)
  • Littlefield Lot (ParkMobile Parking Zone 7282)
  • Knight Management Center Garage (ParkMobile Parking Zone 7207)
Speaker: 
  • Yosuke Kodaka,
  • Go Shiina,
  • Chieko Murata,
  • Mitsuharu Kurokawa,
  • Takahiro Yagi,
  • Masataka Hosoo
Moderator: 
Japan’s Global Content Industries: Innovations and Reinventions in Film, Animation, and Traditional Culture Conference poster with all speaker headshot photos

Join the Japan Program of the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC) at Stanford University for a full-day, in-person conference on the sources of creation and innovation in the globally renowned content industries of Japan. 

Building on the success of last year’s conference, we hear from the creative minds around live-action and animated films of Japan that have garnered international accolades in recent years, and the traditional cultural industries that continue to reinvent themselves after decades and even centuries since their foundation. The growing attention to Japanese culture and the increasing number of tourists visiting Japan enhanced the appeal of these cultural products, leading to global successes of Japanese films, music, food, clothes, and more. What are the reasons for the immense appeal of Japanese content creations, and what drives Japanese creators and innovators to produce and distribute them? 

The morning sessions highlight Japanese film and animation, featuring creators and producers who share insights into creative processes, production decisions, and global distribution. The afternoon sessions turn to traditional culture and heritage-based industries, bringing together leaders from long-standing companies to explore how inherited values, craftsmanship, and organizational philosophies are carried forward with constant reinterpretation to adapt to the contemporary and international contexts.

Held at Stanford—where scholarship meets innovation—the conference reflects APARC Japan Program’s mission to foster U.S.-Japan dialogue and connect academic insight with real-world cultural and creative transformation. Whether you are a film enthusiast, a cultural practitioner, or a future creator, join us for engaging discussions about the drivers of Japanese creativity and its continuing evolution.


Note: This event will be photographed and videotaped, and by entering this venue, you consent to Stanford University and approved media using your image and likeness. Any photography and videography may not be available for future viewing at a later date.

Media Advisory and Press Contact

Journalists interested in covering the conference should contact Shorenstein APARC’s Communications Manager, Michael Breger, at mbreger@stanford.edu by February 17 at 5 p.m. PT to register and receive accreditation. At the venue, they will be required to present a press credential from an established news organization. Freelance reporters should email a letter from the news organization for which they work to Michael Breger by the February 17 deadline. 


Parking Information

Click here for instructions on purchasing visitor parking. The closest visitor parking to Encina Hall can be found at the following:

  • Track House Lot (ParkMobile Parking Zone 7295)
  • Memorial Lot (ParkMobile Parking Zone 7213)
  • Littlefield Lot (ParkMobile Parking Zone 7282)
  • Knight Management Center Garage (ParkMobile Parking Zone 7207)
     

For general inquiries, contact aparc-communications@stanford.edu.