Amidst the bustling crowds of the 2026 Taipei International Comics & Animation Festival (TiCA) and the myriad of Hatsune Miku merchandise, Nippon Chokuhan stood out with its exclusive SNOW MIKU offerings.
As a long-established “general direct sales” brand, Nihon Chokuhan is gradually transitioning from traditional catalog and television shopping into the forefront of the IP economy, Web3.0, and offline experiences, setting its sights on the global market rather than just Japan.
Leveraging Nihon Chokuhan’s participation at the 2026 TiCA, Moelong Animation conducted an exclusive interview with Motohiko Ito, Board Director and Head of the Global Entertainment Division at Nihon Chokuhan Co., Ltd.. During the interview, Ito broke down how this traditional enterprise is utilizing “Entertainment, Global, and DX (Digital Transformation)” as its core. Following its first “Proof of Concept (PoC)” stop at the 2026 TiCA, the company plans to continuously strengthen its event promotions in Taiwan and progressively perfect its “Experiential Entertainment Strategic Planning”.
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Breaking the “Merchandising” Framework: Moving Towards Comprehensive Web3.0 Services
Discussing Nihon Chokuhan’s transformation, Motohiko Ito clearly defined the company’s new trajectory at the beginning of the interview: “In recent years, with ‘Entertainment, Global, and DX’ as our core, we have been strengthening various initiatives to evolve into a ‘Comprehensive Service (Web3.0)’ enterprise.”
Ito pointed out that Nihon Chokuhan’s objective is to drive business transformation, going beyond mere product sales to integrate diverse services such as experiences, memberships, travel, finance, and insurance, thereby becoming a true comprehensive service provider. In the past, they have attempted cross-sector integration, such as partnering with the J.League soccer club Sagan Tosu for experiential projects and providing exclusive travel experiences for members, gradually shifting their strategic core from “selling products” to creating “experiential value”.
Throughout this transformation process, Ito is primarily in charge of two new business units: the Global Entertainment Division and the PR & IR Division. Guided by the core philosophy of “bringing Japanese culture to the world,” he is actively promoting the overseas expansion of Japanese IPs. This specifically entails planning and operating events and pop-up stores in North America and Asia, alongside constructing an entertainment merchandise-focused e-commerce platform targeting the North American market.
Global OMO Strategy and Comparisons between TiCA, Thailand, and North American Events
In 2025, Nihon Chokuhan officially launched its global expansion in North America; in 2026, they are further expanding this layout into Asia. Within this global strategic blueprint, Ito described a replicable “framework”: “IP × Offline Physical Touchpoints × Digital Traffic Generation (SNS / Memberships / E-commerce)”.
The logic behind this OMO (Online Merge Offline) approach is to create “high-engagement touchpoints” through pop-up stores or events in overseas markets, rather than letting consumer interactions stall at on-site purchases. Instead, they incorporate SNS engagement and official traffic generation mechanisms (such as memberships and e-commerce) into the design, thereby seamlessly connecting consumers to their “next purchase and next experience”.
Through the 2026 TiCA, Ito observed significant commonalities between the Taiwanese market and similar events in Japan: an exceptionally high level of fan enthusiasm and deeply rooted “participatory cultures” such as Cosplay and SNS content creation.
However, compared to the Japan Expo Thailand or North America’s Anime Expo they had previously researched, the 2026 TiCA demonstrated stronger commercial attributes concerning merchandise sales. Ito noted that the comprehensive experience design of the booth, language localization, payment systems, and flow management will visibly dictate the final commercial outcomes.
Regarding observations of physical retail environments, during his visit to Taiwan, Ito toured multiple commercial areas such as the Ximending district and Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Nangang. He perceived that, including specific genres like Yuri anime, the consumer preferences in Taiwan and Japan within the global market are actually highly aligned.
The Business Philosophy of SNOW MIKU: “Emotional Co-creation” Beyond Data
At the 2026 TiCA, Nihon Chokuhan elected “SNOW MIKU” as its flagship IP, not only because they possess the official agency rights—which differentiated them from other “Hatsune Miku” products at the venue—but more profoundly due to its unique community vitality.
Ito articulated: “The appeal of SNOW MIKU, long before its commercial value is considered, lies in the fact that she possesses a narrative and context that is ‘continuously updated together with fans every year’.”
As an image ambassador promoting Hokkaido, SNOW MIKU originated as a festival cheer character from a Hatsune Miku snow sculpture at the 2010 Sapporo Snow Festival; however, what distinguishes her is her “co-creation” nature.
Every year, SNOW MIKU’s theme and official key visuals change, and her outfit design is decided through fan participation mechanisms such as open submissions and voting. “This ‘co-creation’ makes her not just a character, but a cultural phenomenon,” Ito emphasized.
This community-driven fervor and infectiousness hold infinite possibilities. Hatsune Miku’s global influence is extraordinary, and fans can frequently be seen dressed in elaborate Cosplay at Miku-related events worldwide.
After securing the requisite permissions, Nihon Chokuhan introduces participatory initiatives such as the “piapro wall” at pop-up events, enabling fans to leave messages and interact creatively. Ito stated with emotion: “Every time I see fans passionately leaving messages, creating, and interacting on-site, I am reminded of the high ‘global fan enthusiasm.’ This ‘Hatsune Miku intensity’ is a metric that cannot be quantified by numbers alone.”
Furthermore, adhering to the philosophy of “bringing Japanese culture to the world,” Nihon Chokuhan will actively champion not only Hatsune Miku and SNOW MIKU but any limited events that can maximize experiential value for fans. Consequently, future exhibitions will transcend mere “merchandise sales” to integrate photo-op locations, participatory projects, SNS viral marketing, and post-exhibition traffic generation, ultimately maximizing the experiential value for fans.
Data-Driven Localization Strategy and Retail Observations
Introducing Japanese IPs to the global stage is not simply a matter of “shipping goods over to sell”. Using SNOW MIKU as an example, Ito explained that because the visual identity shifts annually, popularity across different generations will fluctuate. Therefore, Nihon Chokuhan meticulously analyzes sales data across various regions and demographics to inform their procurement and planning strategies.
From the data analytics, they discovered a compelling phenomenon: regarding the popularity of the “annual visual,” there is negligible variance across global regions; however, concerning preferences for “product categories,” there are pronounced differences in trending items between Asia and North America. This insight has prompted Nihon Chokuhan to pivot its merchandising strategy. Moving forward, they aim not only to sustain the sales of existing products but also to elevate the proportion of newly commissioned (kakioroshi) original merchandise exclusive to Nihon Chokuhan. This paradigm shift signifies that Nihon Chokuhan is endeavoring to transition from a “simple import sales” model to an IP content producer that “generates value from the planning phase”.
Renowned Producer Yasushi Akimoto Joins to Build a “Cross-Boundary Resonance” Entertainment Ecosystem
If IP agency operations act as Nihon Chokuhan’s spear, then its robust corporate resources and cross-boundary operational capabilities serve as the shield underpinning its transformation. A landmark move in this regard is the appointment of Yasushi Akimoto as “General Producer” to participate in the company’s operations.
The addition of Yasushi Akimoto has delivered substantial leverage to Nihon Chokuhan concerning entertainment planning and forging alliances with rights holders. This scope extends beyond anime IPs into the expansive J-pop and sports entertainment sectors.
Under the framework of its global strategy, Nihon Chokuhan envisions infinite cross-boundary potential in synergies like “Japanese Anime × J-POP”. “Our ambition is not merely to focus on standalone IPs, but to amalgamate elements such as music and sports to engineer entirely new experiential value,” Ito expressed regarding his vision for establishing a composite entertainment ecosystem.
This strategic positioning is also mirrored in their refined criteria for future IP selection. Beyond their flagship SNOW MIKU, when evaluating prospective IPs, Nihon Chokuhan no longer prioritizes mere popularity; instead, they incorporate three long-term viability metrics:
Feasibility of mid-to-long-term collaboration with the rights holders.
Potential to expand the breadth of peripheral merchandising (SKU, Stock Keeping Unit; a robust SKU architecture facilitates more effective management of multi-style, highly variable product lines).
Viability for execution as offline experiences (e.g., suitability for exhibitions, photography, participatory activations, etc.).
Integrating these criteria, Ito disclosed regarding the operations under his purview that Nihon Chokuhan is currently propelling North American initiatives for VTubers active in the global arena. Simultaneously, they are leveraging established relationships with rights holders to spearhead merchandising and SNS short animation projects for internationally popular children’s IPs.
Taking VTubers as a prime example, Nihon Chokuhan has recently announced an official collaboration with the 2.5D VTuber idol group “Amyudoru“. In addition to establishing dedicated merchandising portals on Nihon Chokuhan’s platform, they are formulating original live broadcast programs and live e-commerce ventures to capture new customer segments and accrue innovative product development expertise.
Of even greater strategic consequence is Nihon Chokuhan’s acquisition of “Crocodile,” an agency representing a roster of talented voice actors, incorporating it as a subsidiary. The agency’s talent pool includes Natsuko Hara, renowned for voicing Rishia in “The Rising of the Shield Hero”.
By horizontally integrating voice acting talent, intellectual properties, and event resources, Nihon Chokuhan is striving to construct a more holistic, “experiential value-driven” commercial model.
The Future of “Co-creation with Fans”
“Among these initiatives, the element we prioritize most is ‘co-creation with fans,'” Ito noted, sharing a distinctive case study: “Previously in Singapore, local fans engaged as event ambassadors, participating in supportive capacities closely aligned with core operations.”
“We firmly believe that this ‘intersection and co-creation’ inherently constitutes experiential value,” Ito articulated.
With the escalating demand from local Taiwanese enterprises to “leverage Japanese IPs for strategic planning,” Nihon Chokuhan aspires to fulfill an increasingly vital role as a “bridge”. Concluding the interview, Ito extended an invitation to the anime community with a sincere and open demeanor: “If there are fans eager to energize events and co-create alongside us, we highly anticipate the opportunity to collaborate, jointly building a ‘pan-entertainment’ ecosystem that delivers profound, immersive experiences.”
