An ambitious work that has been in the planning stages for 10 years! Director Mamoru Oshii's latest work, to be aired and distributed in 2020!

Mamoru Oshii, known for his "Mobile Police Patlabor" series and "Ghost in the Shell," has announced that he will write the original story, script, and supervise the production of a new animation, along with the establishment of an animation production company, Ichigo Animation Co.

("Ichigo Animation") as a wholly-owned consolidated subsidiary on April 4, 2019, as well as the announcement that a new animation written and directed by Mamoru Oshii will be produced under the exclusive investment of Ichigo Animation.

The following is a summary of the details of the announcement, including future developments.

1. Reason for establishing Ichigo Animation
As stated in our long-term VISION "Ichigo 2030" announced on April 17, 2019, Ichigo Animation views real estate as "infrastructure" that enriches people's lives. Based on this belief, we will develop AKIBA CULTURES ZONE into a world-class landmark representing Japanese animation culture by linking this production with AKIBA CULTURES ZONE, which we own within a 4-minute walk from Akihabara Station, the sacred land of subcultures. Furthermore, the dissemination of animation, one of our country's proudest soft power, is in line with the Cool Japan Policy, a national strategy, and we will strive to realize our management philosophy of "Making Japan the richest country in the world".

2. Introduction of Mamoru Oshii
Mamoru Oshii is a film director who mainly works on animation and live-action films, and has participated in all three major film festivals in the world.

3. Introduction of AKIBA CULTURES ZONE
The property is a six-story building with one basement floor, and in the basement is the "AKIBA CULTURES GEKIJO," one of the largest theaters in the area, where idol and voice actor events, movie screenings, etc. are held, as well as a restaurant cafe with a permanent stage "AKIHABARA BACKSTAGE The facility is also home to the Rashinban Akihabara Store, which sells character goods, figures, anime CDs and DVDs on the first and second floors, and is listed on Wikipedia as a sacred place for various cultural activities.
We will continue to support each tenant and enhance the value of this property through this production and related businesses.

4. About this production
This ambitious work was conceived by Mamoru Oshii, the general director, over a period of 10 years, and is scheduled to be broadcast and distributed in Japan in the spring or early summer of 2020.

Outline of Ichigo Animation

6. Outlook for the future
The establishment of Ichigo Animation and the production of this film will have a negligible impact on our consolidated business results for the fiscal year ending February 28, 2020, but as mentioned above, we believe it will contribute to the expansion of our earnings.