Animators in Japan paid an average of $11,600 (around 1 million yen) per year

From the JAnicA website. 

I was truly disheartened yesterday when I read that animators in Japan between the ages of 20 and 30 are paid roughly $11,600 (that’s about 1 million yen) per year. While animation is far more popular in Japan than it is in the US, it’s still a dying art form when you consider the popularity of computer animation. With such dismal pay, the amount of talented people who enter the animation field is only going to decrease as time goes on.

To make matters even worse, the pay doesn’t get much better when these animators enter their 30’s—most animators between the ages of 30 and 40 only make around $22,600 per year. Even senior animators don’t get a sizable increase in pay. There are senior animators in Japan who only make around $31,000 per year.

Thankfully, the Japan Animation Creators Association (JAniCA) is trying to do something about such miserable pay and questionable working conditions. After taking a survey of 700 animators and directors, JAniCA is planning to collaborate with production companies to improve the working conditions of staffers.

If these conditions don’t improve, the future of the anime industry is unsure. According to AnimeNewsNetwork, “the future of the anime industry is uncertain because the industry is not training enough young talent in the current working environment.”

While I would be sad (okay, heartbroken) if the anime industry were to somehow disappear, I would be more upset if animators continued to be treated poorly. No one deserves that kind of treatment, and I am glad that JAniCA is putting their foot down and trying to resolve this issue. 

Called “Otaku No Video,” this v-cast talks about the salary issue of animators in Japan as well as some other important industry news that happened this past week.

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With the popularity of anime like Death Note, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Fruits Basket, Naruto, and Bleach, why do you think that animators are getting paid so little? Leave a comment below or send us a tweet @hellololly.