The Tokyo International Anime Fair also known as 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.BILAT official website 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.
Event history This table shows the number of visitors and participants: DateAttendanceExhibitorsLocationFebruary 15–17, 200250,163104Tokyo Big Sight, TokyoMarch 19–22, 200364,698138Tokyo Big Sight, TokyoMarch 25–28, 200472,773166Tokyo Big Sight, TokyoMarch 31-April 3, 200583,966197Tokyo Big Sight, TokyoMarch 23–26, 200698,984256Tokyo Big Sight, TokyoMarch 22–25, 2007107,713270Tokyo Big Sight, TokyoMarch 27–30, 2008126,622289Tokyo Big Sight, TokyoMarch 18–21, 2009129,819255Tokyo Big Sight, TokyoMarch 25–28, 2010132,492244Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo2011 Cancelled due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami eventMarch 22–25, 201298,923216Tokyo Big Sight, TokyoMarch 21–24, 2013105,855223Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo
Official theme song YearTitleMusician2010Happy placeEri-Yuka《Eri Kitamura & Yuka Iguchi》2012TAF na Sora-e!!!Nioh 2013Kimi ni TodokeArs Magna
2011 event
In December 2010 a group of ten large manga publishers known as the 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. 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.
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.
References
External links
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 , 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