Kadokawa will establish a large-scale anime production hub, Studio One Base, in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district in Fall 2026, as part of a broader effort to strengthen its animation production infrastructure and improve working conditions for creators.

The facility will be located within the Sunshine City complex in Toshima City and will serve as a centralized production base for several animation studios within the Kadokawa group. The project marks the first initiative under the company's new production reform concept, "Creating Creators. Creating Studios."

Planned with a total floor space of approximately 1,400 tsubo (about 4,628 square meters), Studio One Base will house around 400 employees. In addition to Kadokawa's internal animation-related departments, the facility will bring together multiple group studios, including ENGI, Studio KADAN, Raging Bull, Bellnox Films, and Chiptune.


By physically consolidating these studios in a single location, Kadokawa aims to accelerate initiatives already underway to streamline back-office operations and improve coordination between production teams. The company also expects the hub to facilitate faster information sharing, strengthen collaboration across studios, and create an environment that allows creators to focus more fully on production work. Another goal of the initiative is to enhance the transfer of technical know-how between studios and expand training opportunities for younger animators.

The project comes as Japan's animation industry continues to expand rapidly. According to data released by the Association of Japanese Animations, the anime market reached 3.84 trillion yen (approximately US$25.25 billion) in 2024, up 14.8 percent from the previous year and the largest figure on record. At the same time, studios across the industry face persistent challenges including a shortage of skilled creators and increasingly complex production workflows.


Against this backdrop, Kadokawa established a Studio Business Division in April 2025 to oversee its animation and live-action production studios on a cross-company basis. The division has since worked to centralize administrative functions, improve employee benefits, and conduct joint recruitment initiatives across studios. Studio One Base is intended to further advance these efforts by bringing production resources together in one location.

The new hub will also play a role in a broader regional initiative involving Toshima City and Sunshine City Co. to further develop Ikebukuro as a global center for anime and related entertainment. Kadokawa and local partners have previously collaborated on events such as the Ikebukuro Halloween Cosplay Festival, which attracts large numbers of domestic and international visitors each year.

With the addition of a major production base, the partners aim to expand Ikebukuro's role beyond a destination for consuming entertainment into a center for creating, nurturing, and promoting anime content. The initiative builds on Toshima City's longstanding branding as a hub for manga, anime, and cosplay culture, supported by landmarks such as the Tokiwaso Manga Museum and the concentration of anime-related retail stores in the area.

Kadokawa said the new production hub will help strengthen its ability to develop and support animation projects as part of its broader global media-mix strategy, which positions anime as a key driver of long-term intellectual property value.

Source: Branc, KAI-YOU