Japan Cool Japan Organization has been losing money for consecutive years, and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry plans to merge or abolish it

(Central News Agency, Tokyo, 20th, comprehensive foreign news report) Japan's "Cool Japan Fund, also known as the Cool Japan Fund" has accumulated huge deficits in consecutive years. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is adjusting towards consolidation or abolition, and there will be no relevant budget requirements for fiscal investment and financing in 2027.

Japan's "Asahi Shimbun" and "Nihon Keizai Shimbun" reported that the Cool Japan Agency's budget request for 2026 is 9 billion yen, but it was not included in the final financial investment and financing plan, and there was no additional relevant budget for 2026.

The Cool Japan Organization was established in 2013 to promote the expansion of overseas markets for goods and services that help revitalize Japanese culture.

However, due to continued sluggish performance, the accumulated deficit in 2025 reached 54 billion yen, unable to achieve the planned target, so the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry began to review the merger. Of the agency’s 151.3 billion yen investment, government investment accounts for more than 90%.

To advance the work, a review meeting composed of experts began discussions at the end of July. During the meeting, relevant systems, investment projects, organizational operations and other aspects will be reviewed, with the goal of reaching a final conclusion before the end of 2026.