Tokyo Vice Producer and Netflix Urge Japan to Make Its Rebate Certain
Summary
At an MPA seminar during the Tokyo festival, speakers said a lower incentive is acceptable if producers can count on it in advance.
"Japan's production incentive drew pointed industry criticism at the Motion Picture Association's annual seminar during the Tokyo International Film Festival, Deadline and Variety reported Tuesday. Alex Boden, the London-based producer of Tokyo Vice, asked how a producer can count on Japan's IP360 scheme in advance, and called for a lower minimum spend, automatic approval in place of panel selection, and training obligations built into the program, pointing to the UK's ScreenSkills levy.
""You can have a lower incentive, that's fine, as long as it's certain, as long as the criteria are clear,"" said Netflix production executive Deb Richards, according to Variety. Variety reported that IP360 pays 50% against Japanese spend, with a minimum recently raised to JPY800 million (about $5.1 million), a threshold Boden said shuts out independent films and co-productions. The MPA's Paul Muller cited Australia's model, which ties incentives to training spend, and welcomed government moves toward two-year financing.
The criticism comes as Japan prepares a unified content body, ordered by the prime minister, to consolidate policy now spread across several ministries. A task force first met Oct. 22, with a launch targeted for 2027, as part of a public-private roadmap aiming for JPY20 trillion in overseas content sales by 2033."
