At Series Mania Forum 2026, Broadcast Program Export Association of Japan (BEAJ) and Empire of Arkadia (EOA) will feature a dedicated industry session examining the logistics and development of cross-border television projects involving Japan.
The panel, titled “Coming Next from Japan,” is scheduled for March 24 at the Series Mania Forum in Lille. Moderated by Janine Stein, Editorial Director of ContentAsia, the session will gather executives from both Japanese and European companies to discuss the operational challenges, structuring, and future prospects of international co-productions.
The session will center its case studies on four recent international co-productions, detailing the collaborative processes between Japanese broadcasters and overseas production entities:
Blood & Sweat (Japan–Finland): Co-produced by WOWOW, AX-ON, and ICS Nordic. The project is distributed internationally by Boat Rocker Studios and broadcast by WOWOW in Japan and Nelonen Media in Finland. Speakers include Tomomi Takashima (Chief Producer, WOWOW) and Daniel Toivonen (Producer/Director, AX-ON).
Lost & Found (Singapore–Japan): A joint project involving Empire of Arkadia, Mocha Chai Laboratories, NHK, and TV Man Union, with support from Singapore’s IMDA. The series airs on NHK and Mediacorp. The panel will feature Fotini Paraskakis (Producer/Distributor, Empire of Arkadia) and Tomoko Matsuda (Producer, NHK).
How to Be a Sensei (Japan–UK): Produced by Nippon TV in partnership with UK-based Anyway Content. The session will include insights from producers Yoko Takashima (Nippon TV) and Cassie Smyth (Anyway Content).
Drops of God (France–Japan–US): A multi-territory co-production involving Les Productions Dynamic, Adline Entertainment, 22H22, Hulu Japan, and Legendary. The series streams globally on Apple TV+ and Hulu Japan. Klaus Zimmermann (Producer, Dynamic Television) will represent the project.
The overarching focus of the panel reflects a strategic shift within the Japanese media sector. Representatives from the organizing bodies, including BEAJ Executive Director Makito Sugiyama and EOA Co-Founder Shigeko Cindy Chino, indicated that the current market strategy relies on pairing Japanese creators and IP with international production expertise to secure distribution across global streaming platforms and networks.
