トップページ：選考委員

Selectors

Chair of the Selection Committee

	Takeshi Natsuno Graduated from Waseda University’s School of Political Science and Economics and joined Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd. Later earned a degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. After serving as vice president at a venture company, he joined NTT DOCOMO, Inc. He launched numerous services including “i-mode” and “Osaifu-Keitai” (mobile payment system), eventually serving as an executive officer at NTT DOCOMO. Currently, he holds positions as Specially Invited Professor and Director of Cyber Informatics Research Institute, Kindai University, as well as Chief Executive Officer at KADOKAWA CORPORATION and DWANGO Co., Ltd. He also serves as Outside Director of transcosmos inc., GREE Holdings, Inc., U-NEXT HOLDINGS Co., Ltd., and Oracle Corporation Japan. Additionally, he serves as General Project Manager for METI’s MITOU Program and Co-Chairman of the Cabinet Office’s Cool Japan Public-Private Partnership Platform.

Takeshi Natsuno

Graduated from Waseda University’s School of Political Science and Economics and joined Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd. Later earned a degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. After serving as vice president at a venture company, he joined NTT DOCOMO, Inc. He launched numerous services including “i-mode” and “Osaifu-Keitai” (mobile payment system), eventually serving as an executive officer at NTT DOCOMO. Currently, he holds positions as Specially Invited Professor and Director of Cyber Informatics Research Institute, Kindai University, as well as Chief Executive Officer at KADOKAWA CORPORATION and DWANGO Co., Ltd. He also serves as Outside Director of transcosmos inc., GREE Holdings, Inc., U-NEXT HOLDINGS Co., Ltd., and Oracle Corporation Japan. Additionally, he serves as General Project Manager for METI’s MITOU Program and Co-Chairman of the Cabinet Office’s Cool Japan Public-Private Partnership Platform.

Selectors

	Tadashi Sudo Journalist specializing in animation, conducting research, reporting, and writing on both domestic and international animation topics. He also conducts surveys and research on the Japanese animation business. After working at a major securities firm, he launched the information website “Anime! Anime!” in 2002 and served as its editor-in-chief. In 2012, he transferred the site’s operations to IID, Inc., and has since contributed to publications including the animation section of “Digital Content White Paper” and the “Anime Industry Report.” His major works include “Who Will Create Anime in the Future? The Quiet Revolution Driven by Chinese Investment and Online Distribution” (Seikaisha Shinsho) and “How Did Japanese Animation Directors Achieve Global Success?” (Seikaisha Shinsho).
	Akinori Nakamura Professor at the College of Image Arts and Sciences, Ritsumeikan University. His expertise lies in international management and the Chinese content industry. With regard to the anime industry, he has conducted research on CG and anime studios in Suzhou, Hangzhou, Shanghai, and Beijing as part of an investigation into China’s cultural industry promotion policies. The results were published in The History of China’s Game Industry (Chapter 7). Additionally, he has examined the relationship between anime and game studios using the Western concept of “transmedia storytelling,” with some of his findings presented at academic conferences.
	Atsuo Nakayama Entertainment sociologist. He simultaneously serves as an entrepreneur (founder of Re entertainment, a management consulting firm specializing in entertainment), corporate executive at venture companies (Plott, Fandom), researcher (at Keio University and Ritsumeikan University), policy advisor (Specialist for METI, Committee Member for the Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters at the Cabinet Office), and association board member (Licensing International Japan, ATP). His lifework involves promoting Japan’s entertainment industry abroad. His published works include “Character Nation Japan,” “Creator Wonderland,” “Complete History of Entertainment Business,” “Masters of Entertainment,” “The Oshi Economy,” and “The Genesis of the Otaku Economic Sphere,” among others.
	Kazuo Rikukawa After working as an editor for specialized advertising and marketing journals and as a researcher at a marketing firm, he established Character Databank Co., Ltd. (CDB) in July 2000. While overseeing CDB’s operations, he also serves as an analyst for the character business, appearing as a commentator on television, radio, newspapers, and magazines, as well as writing and lecturing. In 2014, he participated in founding the Character Brand Licensing Association (CBLA), where he currently serves as Executive Director. He also holds the position of visiting researcher at the Content Business Research Institute at Sanno University.

Special Selectors

	Shigeru Saito Representative Director, Chairman and CEO at TOSE Co., Ltd.; Vice Chairman of the Kyoto Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and Chairman of the KYOTO Cross Media Experience Executive Committee. A native of Kyoto Prefecture. Since its founding in 1979, TOSE Co., Ltd. has been involved in the development of over 2,400 video game titles and smartphone applications, serving as an unsung powerhouse that has consistently driven the gaming industry forward. He has also served as a director and committee member for various economic and cultural promotion organizations centered in Kyoto.
	Ryutaro Hayashi Advertising creator and producer. After working as an editor for publishing trade journals and culture magazines, he transitioned into the advertising industry. He has extensively worked on advertising promotions utilizing anime, manga, and other content, as well as collaborative product planning. As an expert in this field, he also engages in writing and lecturing.
	Taro Maki Representative Director of GENCO, Inc. In 1977, he joined TOHOKUSHINSHA FILM CORPORATION, where he worked on foreign film acquisitions, film production and distribution, and anime production. He later joined Pioneer LDC, where he gained extensive experience in anime production before founding GENCO Inc. in 1997—a rare company in the industry specializing in project planning and production. He has since contributed to the production of over 100 anime titles, including “Patlabor: The Movie” (1995), “Millennium Actress” (2002), “Sword Art Online” (2012), and “In This Corner of the World” (2016).
	Azusa Matsuda VP of Business Development at the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA). At Anime Expo—the largest Japanese pop culture event in North America—she oversees content and guest programming, new project development, and strategic partnerships.She also leads business initiatives and conferences that connect Japanese pop culture with the U.S. entertainment industry, supporting global IP expansion and cross-border collaborations.Through Anime Expo, she works to foster cultural exchange and mutual understanding between Japan and the United States, and regularly speaks at industry both domestically and internationally.