Tokyo International Anime Fair
| Tokyo International Anime Fair | |
|---|---|
 One of the exhibition halls at the 2008 fair. | |
| Status | Defunct |
| Venue | Tokyo Big Sight |
| Location(s) | Tokyo |
| Country | Japan |
| Inaugurated | 2002 |
| Most recent | 2013 |
| Attendance | 105,855 (2013) |
| Website | |
|
tokyoanime | |
The Tokyo International Anime Fair also known as Tokyo International Animation Fair (東京国際アニメフェア, TAF) was one of the largest anime trade fairs in the world, held annually in Tokyo, Japan. The first event was held in 2002 as "Tokyo International Anime Fair 21". The event was held at Tokyo Big Sight, a convention and exhibition center in Tokyo Bay, in late March. Usually, the first one or two days of the fair were weekdays and the entrance was open only to industry members and the press; the last two days were scheduled on the weekend and the fair was open to the public.
Besides being an international trade fair, the TAF included related events such as business symposia and other events. Notably, the Tokyo Anime Awards were given for domestic and foreign creations and creators in the event with the name of the event. The event was supported by the Bureau of Industrial and Labor Affairs of Tokyo.[1] Although the event did not have a long history, it and its prizes were recognized in the industry. In 2014, it was merged with the Anime Contents Expo to form AnimeJapan.[2]
Event History
This table shows the number of visitors and participants:[3]
| Date | Attendance | Exhibitors | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 15–17, 2002 | 50,163 | 104 | Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo |
| March 19–22, 2003 | 64,698 | 138 | Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo |
| March 25–28, 2004 | 72,773 | 166 | Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo |
| March 31-April 3, 2005 | 83,966 | 197 | Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo |
| March 23–26, 2006 | 98,984 | 256 | Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo |
| March 22–25, 2007 | 107,713 | 270 | Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo |
| March 27–30, 2008 | 126,622 | 289 | Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo |
| March 18–21, 2009 | 129,819 | 255 | Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo |
| March 25–28, 2010 | 132,492 | 244 | Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo |
| 2011 | Cancelled due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami event | ||
| March 22–25, 2012 | 98,923 | 216 | Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo |
| March 21–24, 2013 | 105,855 | 223 | Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo |
Official Theme song
| Year | Title | Musician |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Happy place | Eri-Yuka《Eri Kitamura & Yuka Iguchi》 |
| 2012 | TAF na Sora-e!!! | Nioh |
| 2013 | Kimi ni Todoke | Ars Magna |
2011 event
In December 2010 a group of ten large manga publishers known as the Comic 10 Society (コミック10社会 Comikku 10 Shakai) announced plans to boycott the 2011 event. The boycott was in protest at revisions to the Tokyo Youth Development Ordinance that increased regulation of manga and anime sales to under-18 year olds. This was seen as a deliberate snub of Shintaro Ishihara, who was closely associated with both TAF and the changes to the law.[4][5][6] Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan had expressed concern about the impact of the boycott and urged the parties involved to work towards resolving the situation.[7][8]
Due to the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit the northeast coast of Japan on March 11, 2011, it was announced five days later, that the 2011 event would be canceled. In addition, Tokyo Big Sight, where the event was held annually, suffered unspecified damage during the quake in the Tokyo area.[9]
References
- ↑ BILAT official website
- ↑ "Tokyo Int'l Anime Fair, Anime Contents Expo Unite to Form AnimeJapan". Anime News Network. October 10, 2013. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
- ↑ "過去の開催情報 (Previous Event History) -". Retrieved 2010-12-09. (Japanese)
- ↑ "Publishers threaten boycott over sex ordinance". Asahi Shimbun. 15 December 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
- ↑ "Tokyo assembly panel clears bill to regulate sexual content in comics". Japan Today. 13 December 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
- ↑ "10 Manga Publishers to Boycott Tokyo Anime Fair". Anime News Network. 10 December 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
- ↑ "Japanese manga publishers threaten to boycott festival". The Daily Telegraph. 16 December 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
- ↑ "Tokyo's Youth Ordinance Bill Approved by Committee". Anime News Network. 13 December 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
- ↑ "Tokyo International Anime Fair 2011 Canceled". Anime News Network. March 16, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tokyo International Anime Fair. |
- Tokyo International Anime Fair official site (Japanese)
- Tokyo International Anime Fair official site (English)
Convention reports
- "Tokyo International Anime Fair", by Jon Tarbox, Anime News Network, 3 April 2003
- "Tokyo International Anime Fair 2006", by Kat Avila, Sequential Tart, April 2006
- "The Award for Best Satanic Rabbit Goes to …,", by Virginia Heffernan, New York Times, 2 April 2006
- "Tokyo International Anime Fair 2010 at Tokyo Big Sight", by Kanako, musicJAPANplus, Tokyo, 6 April 2010
Coordinates: 35°37′50″N 139°47′42″E / 35.63056°N 139.79500°E