News
30 Japanese & International Otaku Events Form Association
posted on by Egan Loo
The International Otaku Expo Association (IOEA) was established on Friday, one day before Comic Market Special 6 hosted the Otaku Summit 2015 event. The organization's goal is to "encourage new developments within the wider otaku culture by linking together otaku expos." The IOEA seeks to create a forum for Internet-based discussion and collaboration.
"I believe that because of this association, collaboration will occur between international events," said IOEA's founding task force director Kazutaka Satoh. "When I went outside of Japan I saw different varieties of events and activities. I think that this variety of culture is the core of otaku culture." For attendees of foreign events, IOEA aims to expose them to different fan activities from around the world.
IOEA executive office director Takamasa Sakurai noted that fans all over the world gather at events devoted to Japan's otaku culture, but the events do not necessarily coordinate with each other.
Sakurai said, "By linking together otaku expos — each and every one a testament to otaku culture's achievements — with one another through the IOEA on a global scale, the fans, creators, organizations, and businesses that gather there would be able to widen the scope of their various activities." He hopes the IOEA will encourage developments in international otaku culture to "contribute toward making this world a happier place."
The events participating in the IOEA are:
Japan
- Comic Market, Tokyo
- Niconico Chokaigi, Tokyo
North America
- Anime Boston, Boston
- Anime North, Toronto
- Otakon, Washington D.C.
- Otakon Vegas, Las Vegas
- Sakura-Con, Seattle
Central and South America
- Anime Friends, São Paulo
- EXPO TNT, Mexico City
- J'fest, Mexico City
- Lima Comics, Lima
Europe
- AkiCon, Moscow
- AniCon, Saint Petersburg
- AniNite, Vienna
- Asia Breeze, Ekaterinburg
- DoKomi, Düsseldorf
- Fenix, Kazan
- JapAniManga Night, Davos
- Minami Con, Southampton
- Nippon Nation, Vienna
- Romics, Rome
- Saló del Manga de Barcelona, Barcelona
- Salon Internatinal del Comic de Barcelona, Barcelona
- Siberia Otaku Saiten (SOS), Siberia
Asia and Oceania
- Ani-Com & Games Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Comic Fiesta, Kuala Lumpur
- Fancy Frontier, Taipei
- Overload NZ Comic + Manga Convention, Auckland
- Thailand Comic Con, Bangkok
- VISUAL ARTS EXPO (VAX), Kuala Lumpur
The organizers of the Comic Market (Comiket) events host the Comiket Special event once every five years. Otaku Summit 2015 was held in the Makuhari Messe convention center from March 28 to March 29.
The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation, Anime Expo's parent organization, holds Project Anime conferences that also aim to connect people who run events for anime, manga, and Japanese popular culture.
