Japan

Japan has set its sights on being a top destination for inter­national productions, thanks to an expanded incentive, breathtaking locations and hard-working crews.

The Japanese location incentive, introduced in 2023, has been approved and amended for 2025, in the hopes of drawing more international productions to the territory. The overall programme remains largely unchanged, but the number of application periods has been increased from three to four, the first of which opened on March 27.

Feature films that shot in Japan and received support from the initiative include Benny Safdie’s sports biopic The Smashing Machine, which filmed in Japan in summer 2024 for A24; Ha-Chan Shake Your Booty from US filmmaker Josef Kubota Wladyka, whose credits include Max’s Tokyo Vice; and David Tomaszew­ski’s fantasy film Yoroi, co-produced by Cine France and Japan’s Toho Tombo.

TV series that have benefited from the incentive include season two of Apple TV+’s Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters; South Korean drama What Comes After Love; and Neuromancer, a US adaptation of the 1984 William Gibson sci-fi novel, produced by Skydance Television and Anonymous Content with Japan’s Wowow.

Also for A24, Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme filmed in Japan in winter 2024‑25, while Disney+’s Made In Korea, starring Hyun Bin and Jung Woo Sung, filmed in Nagoya, Kobe and Osaka. Japan-UK co-production A Pale View Of Hills set up shop at Toei Tokyo Studios, Kadokawa Daiei Studio and Warp Station Edo for its open air sets. Also, Johnnie To has been location scouting in Sapporo for his upcoming feature. 

Japan has a reputation for being a difficult place to film, but those inside the industry are working hard to make the process as smooth as possible, and the increase in international productions is proof these efforts are paying off. 

“The Japanese government has become more and more helpful in supporting international co-productions,” says A Pale View Of Hills producer Miyuki Fukuma. “It was also very helpful for us to have on board Number 9 Films, a well-known British production partner, and of course author Kazuo Ishiguro [to access the financial support].”

Taking advantage of the nascent Italy-Japan co-production agreement are writer/director Lisa Takeba and producer Parsifal Reparato, whose project Children Of The River is scheduled to shoot in summer 2025 in Shikoku, located in the southern part of Japan, with post-production to be completed in Italy. 

For a successful co-production with Japan, it is important to respect the local way of working. “For example, in Japan, the assistant director controls the props, but in the western system, the art department controls the props,” says A Pale View Of Hills producer Hiroyuki Ishiguro. This necessitated liaisons between different departments to facilitate collaboration on the production. 

Also necessary, says producer Elizabeth Karlsen of Number 9, is the simple, but sometimes overlooked, act of conversation. “Whenever there was a misunderstanding, there was no hegemonic response. When there were small glitches, we just worked them through with conversation.”

Japan’s iconic locations are its biggest draw; from unique mountainscapes and urban areas, to hot springs and beaches, temples and shrines. 

Tokyo-based Japan Film Commission provides access to a network of more than 120 regional and municipal film commissions spanning the country, from Sapporo Film Commission in the mountainous north to Okinawa Film Office in the islands of the south. Tokyo Location Box provides advice on locations and permits on behalf of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

Permits are notoriously complicated to acquire, and partnering with local production services, like Toho Tombo, Plus B, Zizo, BFF Kyoto, and more is essential to getting the right permits. 

Bilingual crews are growing in number as more international productions come to Japan. Studio space can be hard to come by and often local productions are prioritised. 

However, both Toho and Toei studios (two of the four majors in Japan alongside Nikkatsu and Kadokawa) offer high‑spec soundstages; in 2023, Toei announced an investment of $14m (¥2bn) over five years in its virtual production studios. They also offer production services, financing options on a case-by-case basis, and in-house bilingual crew.

On-location shooting remains the emphasis, with approximately 120 regional film commissions throughout Japan. 

Japan consists of more than 6,000 islands and extends approximately 1,860 miles, offering a wide range of climates and landscapes. 

In the northern tip of Hokkaido, winter lasts more than half of the year, whereas the southern tip of Okinawa has a sub-tropical climate.

There are several international airports — two in Tokyo and one in Osaka — with direct flights from many major cities. Internally, the nation boasts the rapid and reliable bullet train, as well as well-maintained roads, while domestic flights and smaller airports allow for easy travel within the country.