Japan’s ruling party MPs form group to protect US$2.1 billion trading card market

Lawmakers from Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) have launched a group aimed at promoting the rapidly growing trading card industry, seeing its potential as a globally competitive content sector.The group, consisting of some 20 lawmakers, is seeking to improve the trading card environment by setting up rules to address issues such as counterfeit cards and bulk purchases for resale. It is also keen to enhance market transparency to support the industry’s overseas expansion.The popularity of trading cards featuring characters from popular Japanese game, anime and manga series such as Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh! has expanded beyond Japan to international fans in recent years.Seiji Kihara speaks at a meeting of a parliamentary group aimed at promoting the trading card industry in Tokyo on July 23. Photo: KyodoAt its inaugural meeting held in parliament in late July, House of Representatives member Seiji Kihara, who was named the group’s chairman, said that the trading card industry “can compete globally”, stressing the importance of fostering a “healthy market”.