Japanese Feature Films Win Awards. Can They Win at the Box Office Too?

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: Japanese Feature Films Win Awards. Can They Win at the Box Office Too?

Japanese films have never been more acclaimed. Kore-eda won the Palme d’Or. Hamaguchi won the Oscar. And yet last year’s Oscar submission Kokuho (National Treasure) grossed over $133 million at the Japanese box office and just over $1 million everywhere else. This session asks what it takes for Japanese film and content to cross over, not just on the festival circuit, but commercially, in an era where streaming platforms decide what gets seen and what gets buried. 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.

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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 Connects Media (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, covering soft power, youth culture, and the intersection of Japan, Asia, the US, and Europe. She 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 off the record. Questions are encouraged.

Registration: Required Link

Moderator: Waka Ikeda

Webinar Cost: Free of charge