Much of the globe is already fond of–and, in some cases, addicted to–one Japanese cultural export or another. Now the country is making a $1 billion bet that the world wants even more from Japan.

The Cool Japan Fund launched last year with 57.5 billion yen ($560 million dollars), the vast majority of that financed by the government. In total, the fund will spend about $1 billion to stimulate cultural exports, including food, fashion, movies, and shows.

It’s a bit of a mindset problem. The parachute doesn’t open until you jump.

Singapore-based Viki, which leverages its community of 30 million people to crowdsource translated subtitles, is one of the major players bringing Japanese films and TV shows to the rest of the world. Running contrary to the growing emphasis on original content, Viki is very much focused on distribution. “I can’t afford to spend a billion dollars on content or do original programming,” Viki CEO Razmig Hovaghimian tells Fast Company. “Frankly, I don’t need to do originally programming. There’s amazing content worldwide that I need to bring out there.”

The streaming platform, which Japanese e-commerce company Rakuten acquired for $200 million in September, streams more than a billion minutes per month globally, and it considers Japan one of the top five content markets in terms of distribution. “There was pent-up demand,” says Hovaghimian. “It was clear people wanted anime. It was clear people wanted Japanese shows. On a cultural level, Cool Japan made sense.”

One of the surprise hits on Viki, Japanese film The Tragedy of W originally flopped when it debuted in its home country in 1984. Image: Viki

That may be true, but it won’t be easy. With complicated licensing protocols, securing rights in Japan can be much more difficult than it is in other countries. It’s not uncommon for content to have multiple rights holders–including writers, directors, broadcasters, production companies, and talent agencies–and the number of parties involved adds friction to the process. “All of them have to agree,” Hovaghimian says. “Rights are notoriously rough to get in Japan.”

Also standing in the way is a sense of complacency. Japanese broadcasters haven’t seen a need to extend their reach because of the large domestic appetite for entertainment. Hovaghimian recalled many meetings with broadcasters that didn’t go anywhere. “Their response was that it’s difficult to take content global,” he recalls. “It’s a bit of a mindset problem. The parachute doesn’t open until you jump.”