A group of Japanese and Chinese publishers, gripping hammers, swung them down in unison to break the ice--literally--at a ceremony July 14 to launch a joint venture in Guangzhou, China.
The ice-breaking ceremony marked the start of Guangzhou Tianwen Kadokawa Animation & Comics Co., symbolizing a thaw in tight regulations in China on the inflow of foreign pop culture.
The joint venture between Japan's Kadokawa Group Holdings and Hunan Tianwen Animation & Comic Media Co., a subsidiary of a major Chinese publisher, comes as Beijing sees the need to tap Japan's expertise to sell its own manga and animation abroad.
While Kadokawa hopes to expand its Chinese-language market, the Chinese side apparently seeks to absorb Japanese know-how and nurture world-class creators.
China is stepping up its sale of cultural offerings, including movies, manga and animation, abroad with the slogan zouchuqu (Go global).
The goal is to make China a cultural industry power. Zouchuqu originally was used to promote Chinese business and investment overseas.
Now frequently heard in cultural fields, the term heralds a loosening of the once-tight regulations to protect the domestic culture industry.
China has banned the prime-time TV broadcast of foreign animation films. Translation of just one Japanese manga per year is allowed at best, according to a major Japanese publisher.
But Chinese manga and anime artists know that such state support alone will not lead to a phenomenal leap in their industry. They look to Japan for new opportunities.
Xia Da, a young Chinese manga artist, has run a serial comic called "Zibuyu" (Confucius Didn't Say) in the monthly Ultra Jump comic magazine of Shueisha Inc. in Japan since last year.
"Japanese editors always give me precise advice," Xia says. "In China, there were no such people."
Xia works for Summer Island Film, Television and Cartoon Production Co. in Hangzhou, whose president and comic artist Yao Feila plans to open a Tokyo office.
"China's manga market is underdeveloped. Publishers and editors lack experience and artists have few venues to publish their works," Yao says. "I want to find new opportunities in Japan."
The government appears to recognize the need to change its policy. It recently approved a Japan-China joint anime production based on a popular Japanese TV series.
Meanwhile, Kadokawa's new China venture is seen as a vehicle for mutual benefit.
"We aim to develop the market in multiple ways, including films and digital products in addition to manga and light novels," said Tatsuo Sato, president of Kadokawa Group Holdings.
Saori Yoshida, a veteran Kadokawa editor, transferred to the new venture.
"Chinese manga artists are unrefined and are lacking in techniques, but they have great potential," Yoshida said, adding that she hoped Japan's know-how will help nurture talented Chinese artists