Shopping Guide
 Beijing 2012 held from Dec. 1-9 was a huge success.)
The International Comic and Animation Convention (ICAC) Beijing 2012 held from Dec. 1-9 was a huge success. With over 80,000 fans in attendance, ICAC 2012 became the biggest otaku event ever held in Beijing. The event features over 500 booths and is internationally supported by over 50 regions from several countries. Furthermore, it is the only otaku event hosted by China’s government.
Due to Japan’s current political climate with China, many events in China that feature Japanese related content are routinely suspended. Therefore, most Japanese companies demand that event resources are used throughout Southeast Asia and other promising areas. Tohan, which exports Japanese content abroad and helped assemble Japanese companies’ exhibits, is now highly valued by China for being able to achieve such a big success.
The event aims to eliminate the problem of piracy at events in China. Due to this, powerful Japanese companies and publishers were prompted to participate. Original photo exhibitions for Evangelion, Osamu Tezuka’s work, Takao Saito’s work, and more were held. In the merchandise area, Good Smile Shanghai, Animate Shanghai, Mameshiba and other booths had products available to purchase. Special events included a talk and autograph signing by director Kobun Shizuno from the anime series Case Closed, as well as screenings of Rebuild of Evangelion, Summer Wars, and more. Clearly, Japanese manga and anime where a huge aspect of the event.
With the recent success of this event, preparations for ICAC Beijing 2013 are in the works for this October, and the number of participating Japanese companies is expected to greatly increase.
ICAC Beijing 2012 Official Site:
http://en.cpaffc.org.cn/content/details21-22582.html
Source:
http://animeanime.jp/article/2012/12/16/12403.html (Japanese)