Toei CEO Fumio Yoshimura Talks Global Expansion, GenAI Adoption & Entry Into Games

Fumio Yoshimura, CEO of Japan’s Toei, explained how the studio is working with local partners to globalize its long-established IP, as well as innovating in areas including GenAI and gaming, in a keynote Forum session at Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF).

In 2023, the 75-year-old studio launched an ambitious $2BN ‘Toei New Wave’ plan to boost international revenue’s share of total income from 30% to 50% by 2033, which included upgrades to its studio facilities in Tokyo and Kyoto. Since then the company has embarked on several international co-productions and partnerships, started exploring GenAI technology and moved into production of games.

Yoshimura explained how the company has been introducing its popular IP to international markets. One of its oldest franchises, Kamen Rider, has been streaming in Taiwan and other international markets, with India a particular focus.

“In 2025, we held an event to introduce Kamen Rider to India consumers. We got a very good response and signed a contract with a Disney affiliate to distribute the content. Due to its population size and the growth of its middle-class, we see India as a promising market,” Yoshimura said.

In other IP extensions, Toei recently teamed with Sony’s Anyplex Inc and Godzilla VFX house Shriogumi Inc to launch a Kamen Rider anime label.

Kamen Rider was one of the first franchises that Toei globalized, working with U.S. partners to produce an English-language remake, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, more than 30 years ago, with the franchise now handled by toy maker Hasbro. Both the Kamen Rider and Power Rangers franchises have been extended to toys, merchandising and live events.

More recent localization efforts include the Voltes 5 franchise, which was first launched as an anime in Japan in 1977 and became a cultural phenomenon in the Philippines where its themes of resistance against a repressive empire got it banned by the Marcos regime. In 2023, Philippines broadcaster GMA produced a live-action remake, Voltes V: Legacy, which became a ratings hit in the Philippines and also aired in Japan.

“Simply exporting content limits its reach, so in order to break through constraints, we are producing remakes and localisations,” Yoshimura explained.

After getting started with remakes, Yoshimura said the studio is now working on local productions based on original stories: “We’re developing local content from scratch, working with local talent to release locally and then sell globally. We believe this local first model will generate more sustainable long-term revenue than the traditional export model.”

Among recent productions, Toei worked with Taiwan’s Lou Lou Film Studio on Dear Stranger, directed by Tetsuya Mariko and starring Hidetoshi Nishijima and Gwei Lun-mei, which screened on the festival circuit last year. More recently, the company worked with Taiwan’s Wowing Entertainment Group on horror film The Rope Curse 4: Kuntilanak, directed by Liao Shih-Han and starring Lee Kang-sheng.

Yoshimura identified Taiwan as another key market for Toei’s global expansion, due to cultural similarities and the popularity of Japanese IP in Taiwan. “Data shows that Japanese films had a 26% share of Taiwan’s box office last year, the second highest share after Hollywood with 41%,” Yoshimura said. “Taiwanese audiences love Japanese content.”

Toei has also partnered with Thailand’s M Studio on a slate of Thai-language remakes and local features, and is currently working with both M Studio and Korea’s Showbox on a horror feature based on Japanese manga The Long Hair In The Attic, by artist Junji Ito.

Toei has also stepped into assisting the growing number of international productions now shooting in Japan, including U.S. indie action thriller Iris, created by and starring Dani Swan (The Matrix Resurrections).

On the tech front, Yoshimura explained that the company is expanding the Virtual Production and motion capture facilities at its studios in Tokyo and Kyoto and also starting to use AI in workflows.

“We’re also experimenting with GenAI image generation,” Yoshimura said. “The Toei team is performing tests on practical AI applications daily; building tools to assist junior producers in estimating production budgets, and using AI in background artwork. However we believe human creativity remains the core of everything we do.”

Microdrama is another area that Toei has stepped into – producing Everyday Host Club, a 24×3 minutes anime series, and a 30-episode shortform vertical drama made for smartphone screens.

Gaming is another new area for Toei as it explores how to expand its IP across borders and formats. “Gaming is a global entertainment medium and delivering games to users worldwide aligns perfectly with our global expansion strategy,” Yoshimura said.

Toei plans to launch its first game, Hino produced by Ungloom Studio, in spring 2027, followed by Debug – Nephemee and Killa later next year. All the games will be distributed across platforms and consoles including Steam, Nintendo and Xbox.

The session entitled ‘Survival Strategies for Global Enterprises: Japan’s Toei on IP, Globalization, and Business Mindset’ took place as part of TCCF’s Forum section, which also includes sessions on Japan’s K2P Film Fund, Indonesian studio MD Entertainment’s scaling strategy, as well as panel discussions on co-production, mircodrama, AI adoption and IP exploitation.

TCCF is taking place November 6-9 at the Nangang Exhibition Center in Taipei.