TOKYO (Kyodo) — About half of people in the Japanese anime industry said they work over 225 hours per month, highlighting the long working hours compared with other fields, a recent survey by an industry association showed.
The number greatly surpasses the full-time workers’ average of 163.5 hours in the health ministry’s survey for 2023, according to the Nippon Anime & Film Culture Association.
NAFCA was founded in April last year in a bid to improve working conditions in the industry.
The survey garnered 323 responses, including 191 from animators, 44 from people involved in directing, 35 from those in producing roles and 23 from voice actors.
Excluding voice actors, who have differing work schedules from others in the industry, 30.4 percent said they worked 10 hours or more daily, with the longest duration being 336 hours in one month.
As for time off, 58.5 percent reported having less than six days per month on average.
Regarding income, 37.7 percent said their monthly income from their jobs was 200,000 yen ($1,300) or lower after taxes and deductions, although the association said the gender wage gap was smaller than that reported overall in Japan.
Asked if they have other jobs, 77.6 percent said they do not.
By job, scriptwriters and those working in the finishing process had the lowest earnings, with over 60 percent saying their monthly take-home pay is below 200,000 yen.
Meanwhile, 65.8 percent of respondents said they had experienced workplace harassment, while 85.6 percent said they had witnessed it.
Despite the long hours and poor pay, however, 71.8 percent said they want to continue working in the anime industry.