The Money — Prestige or Profit?

The Yokosuka Council on Asia-Pacific Studies (YCAPS) is pleased to present the next installment of Soft Power, Hard Questions: A Forum for Indo-Pacific Culture, Society & Policy: “The Money — Prestige or Profit?”

Japanese content has earned widespread international recognition, but cultural prestige does not always translate into commercial success. This online discussion will examine how Japan's creative industries can turn global admiration into sustainable revenue through licensing, distribution, and the effective use of audience data, and whether an industry built around a handful of mega-franchises needs a wider portfolio to stay durable. The session will feature Douglas Montgomery, founder and CEO of Global Connects Media, and producer of the Japanese/International Film Festival in Los Angeles at the Chinese Theatre, presented by Global Stage Hollywood.

He will join host Waka Ikeda, YCAPS Research Fellow and Program Director, to discuss where the next major opportunities for Japanese content may lie across the Indo-Pacific, and what it would take for Japanese studios to treat regional markets as a central strategy rather than an afterthought to the United States.

To join use this link to register with Zoom

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This event is a part of YCAPS' "Soft Power, Hard Questions" series.

Date: Tuesday October 13, 2026

Time: 18:30-19:30 JST

Venue: Online (zoom)

Schedule:

18:30: Discussion by host and guest followed by moderated audience Q&A

19:30: Webinar concludes

Speaker:
Douglas Montgomery is the founder and CEO of Global ConnectsMedia (Los Angeles / Tokyo), which supports Japanese studios entering international markets. He spent sixteen years at Warner Bros. across the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom, serves as an Asia market advisor to Parrot Analytics, and received a Cool Japan Award in 2016. He is also a producer of the Japanese/International Film Festival in Los Angeles at the Chinese Theatre, held under Global Stage Hollywood.

Host:

Waka Ikeda is a Japanese journalist based in Budapest and Tokyo, and Research Fellow and Program Director at YCAPS. A contributing writer at The Japan Times, she also writes for Nikkei Asia and other outlets, with a focus on soft power, youth culture, and the intersection of Japan, Asia, and Europe. She conducted the field reporting behind the Poland–Japan Foundation’s April 2026 policy analysis on Japan–Europe cultural diplomacy, and wrote for The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus on “Young Audiences Abandoning Traditional Media in the Age of Takaichi” (January 2026). She hosts Soft Power, Hard Questions.

Format: This event will be recorded and published in our web archive. Questions are encouraged during the live event.

Registration: Required Link

Moderator: Waka Ikeda

Webinar Cost: Free of charge