The growing shortage of skilled animators is beginning to change how Japan’s anime industry treats its workforce. Ryuichi Kimura, director of Aikatsu! and representative director of the Japan Animation Creators’ Association (JAniCA), says studios increasingly have to provide better working conditions if they want to attract and retain talented creators.
Kimura discussed the issue with The Japan Times, explaining that the anime industry’s labor shortage has made competition for workers significantly more intense. His comments come as anime production continues to operate at a scale that requires more time and skilled labor.
Anime Studios Are Competing for Skilled Workers
Kimura says the industry’s approach to employment is changing because studios cannot simply assume that talented creators will always be available.
“In recent years, there has been a realization that to create truly great works, we must assemble a talented team, and to secure that talent, offering the best possible working conditions has become a necessity.”
The shortage is partly connected to Japan’s declining birthrate, which is reducing the pool of young workers available across multiple industries. Kimura specifically pointed to this demographic problem as a major factor affecting anime production.
“It’s becoming increasingly difficult to secure young people as workers, not just in the anime industry but across the board.”
The pressure is particularly significant because modern anime can take considerably longer to produce. According to the report, a 30-minute episode that previously could take three to four months may now require around six months as expectations for animation quality have increased.
Full-Time Employment Is Becoming More Important
The changing labor market is also encouraging studios to reconsider the industry’s traditional reliance on freelance animators. JAniCA’s 2026 survey found that 44.9% of respondents were permanent employees, compared with only 15.5% in 2015.
For younger animators especially, permanent employment can provide greater stability through predictable income and benefits that freelancers may not receive.
Yuga Tokuno, a JAniCA board member and animator whose credits include The Boy and the Heron and Suzume, has separately described how smaller studios offering full-time positions can now compete more effectively for talent.
Kimura’s comments also highlight why better conditions are becoming necessary beyond simply improving salaries. The industry’s ability to maintain production quality increasingly depends on whether studios can attract enough skilled people and give them an environment where they can continue working long term.
The Anime Labor Problem Is Not Solved Yet
There are signs that conditions have improved for some creators. The 2026 JAniCA survey found that 64% of respondents received at least eight days off per month, compared with 23% in 2019. The percentage reporting extremely long monthly working hours has also declined.
However, those improvements are not universal, and smaller studios can face greater financial pressure when trying to compete for experienced workers.
Kimura currently serves as JAniCA’s representative director, with the organization’s official profile identifying him as the director of Aikatsu! and other anime projects. His comments therefore offer a direct perspective on how the industry’s workforce shortage is affecting production from within the animation community.
As anime’s global audience continues to expand, the ability to secure and retain skilled creators could become just as important as securing successful franchises.
