F0rmer Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso has heeded the advice of a cultural advisory group.  Long isolated because of language and culture barriers, the ministry wants to use Japanese pop culture, including manga and anime, as a diplomatic tool.

The Council on the Movement of People Across Borders, the panel’s namesake, proposes that Japanese pop culture has a growing fan base overseas which can be exploited.   In fact, on the day of this writing EBay had classified nearly 2000 items for sale in the manga genre ranging from figurines to antique manga magazines to chains and other accessories.  Prices for these items ranged between $2 and $250.

Tap into this ongoing craze.  The manga magazine trading business is a thriving one. Gain permission from the publishers of anime and such to market stationary goods and clothing featuring the major characters in these comics and whatnot.

For those of you not into manga, gaming and such, what follows are the results of a recent poll released by the Cultural Affairs Ministry.  Their survey listed Godzilla, Game of Life, Othello, Super Mario Brothers, Final Fantasy VII, Yawaraka Sensha, The Phoenix, Doraemon, Black Jack, Jojo Bizarre Adventure, Slamdunk, Full Metal Alchemist, The White Snake Enchantess, Astro Boy, Nausica of the Valley of the Wind, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Mobile Suit Gundam as the most popular gaming figures and manga heroes from Japan.

Alternatively, you could create similar characters – free of copyright restrictions – and make your own goods to sell on manga and gaming-related sites.

And remember that these niche ideas are not to paint me as the imagination man, but to give you a chance to consider how to exploit a given goldmine.  Anime has endless possibilities.

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