Japan's low-paying anime industry wrestles with exodus of animators

Though pay rises 80% over 10 years, animators are still choosing to leave for the game industry

20250305N Drive anime studio

Staff at the anime studio Drive enjoy relatively high pay and reasonable working hours. (Photo by Akinobu Masubuchi)

AKINOBU MASUBUCHI

TOKYO -- Japan's anime industry has long been sustained by animators willing to work for meager wages for the sake of their craft, but the emergence of greener pastures like video games has given rise to a critical labor shortage.

The work has long been known to be grueling and low paid.

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