Holding a pop-tech signing ceremony with the Minister of Culture in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.

 ■Holding a pop-tech signing ceremony with the Minister of Culture in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.

An event centered on Japanese manga: Manga Barcelona.

With a history of 25 years, it draws 50,000 people.

There we held the Otaku Summit.

We even had the Minister of Culture of Catalonia, Mariàngela Vilallonga Vives, in attendance.

It was a joint effort between the World Otaku Institute (WOI), established by CiP, and the International Otaku Expo Association (IOEA). WOI creates a network of leading otaku researchers and has established its research base at Takeshiba CiP, which was completed in 2020.

It was conceived as a research institute which would bring joy to many researchers and fans across five continents, and the Otaku Summit is one part of its activities.

The speakers at the summit were Professor Ian Condry of MIT, Professor Paola Scrolavezza of the University of Bologna, Associate Professor Masako Furuichi of Peking University, and me.

It was the leading researchers from the US, Europe, and China, and an activist from Japan.

What is an otaku? What are the issues and outlook?

Professor Condry spoke about creation and collaboration, underpinned by the power of the dojin community and the stimulation of otaku expression.

Professor Scrolavezza explained how Japan’s culture is spreading throughout the world through anime, novels, and movies.

I was surprised by how acute the observations of Japan were from the American and European perspectives.

Professor Furuichi is a career academic of Peking University and a rare Japanese full member of the faculty.

“Chinese anime holds an important strategic position in China and is being supported through policy.”

“However, the position of otaku depends on the approach of the country, and the outlook is unknown.”

A very Chinese cultural position, not seen in other countries.

Do otaku not have a bad image in China?

Professor Furuichi: “University is the gateway to otaku culture in China. It spread from clever students who found a way to connect to other countries and they know how to behave. So there is no negative image of otaku.”

I see. It rings true as a method for transmitting culture.

Professors Condry and Scrolavezza both agreed that the image of otaku in their countries had taken a positive turn.

Also, they said that what was once a niche area had become mainstream.

Not a subculture but a main culture.

I think that in Japan it was never a subculture but a main one from the start.

I don’t like the word “subculture”.

They emphasized that “otaku overcome barriers.”

Otaku has spread worldwide.

It overcomes borders, systems, and religions.

What can otaku do against protectionism and the rightward trend?

What can otaku do that the government and Keidanren can’t?

How can we use that power of reconciliation?

Can we strategically use the soft power of otaku?

I don’t know, but the headquarters of otaku researchers from all over the world, the World Otaku Institute, will take on that topic.

Next summer, we will fly our flag at the special pop-tech district, CiP.

CiP is a combination of Silicon Valley and Hollywood. We want to make it a city only possible in Japan, where creators, users, gamers, otaku, YouTubers, and cosplayers can all gather together.

And, just like Barcelona, it’s on the sea.

I want to design pop which uses the sea.