In-between animators make over 3 million yen less per year than the industry's average wage

Japan's Labor Newspaper published an article on December 2 regarding the Japan Animation Creators Association (JAniCA)'s latest report on the financial situations of people who work in the Japanese anime industry.

The Labor Newspaper reports that people in the anime industry work an average of 9.66 hours per day and take an average of 5.40 days off per month. The newspaper also reports that while the mean average yearly income across the industry is 4,410,000 yen (US$40,000), the average for in-between animators is still only 1,250,000 yen (US$11,400), necessitating wage increases across the board.

The average yearly income is 1 million yen higher than the amount reported in JAniCA's last survey from 5 years ago. The average income for each job in the industry has increased by at least 90,000 yen (US$812). The Labor Newspaper attributes this to the increase in number of respondents over the age of 50 to the survey, declaring that the overall situation has "not improved" compared to 2015. It also points out the disparity between chief animation directors and series directors, who report yearly wages of over 7,880,000 yen (US$71,900) compared to in-between animators and second key animators, who are both paid less than 1,310,000 yen (US$11,900) per year.

The newspaper writes that while the wage disparities may be a good incentive for workers to aspire to a higher station within the industry, the industry should also take measures to ensure that the substandard working conditions do not drive people out of their jobs altogether. It also writes that in order to improve working conditions, TV stations and other financiers will need to pay more money to cover production costs.

JAniCA's data was first unveiled at the "2018 Research Project to Promulgate Media Arts: Activity Report Symposium" on February 23. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood director Yasuhiro Irie , who is a representative for JAniCA, said, "Although this survey indicates an improvement over the situation five years ago, there are many people who have still not received the benefits. I want to make this industry a place that is easy for people to work in."

Source: Labor Newspaper