According to Anime!Anime!, The Agency of Cultural Affairs of Japan invested 214 million yen ($2.26 million) in "Young Animator Training Project" and entrusted the execution of the project to Japan Animation Creators Association (JaniCA). JaniCA will produce four original anime (23 min long with OP and ED sequences) in cooperation with four production studios by the end of next January. Young animators will receive on-the-job-trainings under the supervision of professional anime creators. The anime works are planned to be shown on TV or at anime events.

Young animators are generally trained while they work on in-between animations, but such opportunities are diminishing since anime producers have been outsourcing the process to China, South Korea, and South East Asian countries.

The previous Aso government had launched National Comprehensive Center of Media Arts project, commonly known as "The Anime Hall of Fame" last year and prepared a budget of 11.7 billion yen ($123 million). However, the current Hatoyama administration criticized that it's a waste of money and dropped it. JaniCa was one of the proposers of the project and has been lobbying for improvement of the environment of young animators.

Singapore Media Development Bureau has launched International Animation Fundation and will donate maximum $3.65 million per one anime work through the fund.

Sources: Anime!Anime!, JaniCa official blog, Kamimura Sachiko's blog, Japanimate

related topic: Extremely Low Salary of Japanese Animators

The Wakate Animator Ikusei Project on MAL: Kizuna Ichigeki, Ojii-san no Lamp, Bannou Yasai Ninninman, Tansu Warashi.