ITOCHU Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Keita Ishii, President & COO; hereinafter “ITOCHU”) announced today that it has acquired the rights to merchandize the popular Opanchu Usagi character in North America (United States of America and Canada) and has launched the animation character licensing business in the North American market, the world's largest market.

The North American market for Japanese anime and character goods has continued to grow significantly each year and is expected to reach 9.94 billion USD by 2030, driving global growth. (Average annual growth rate: 16.3% in North America, 9.8% globally)^*1. Additionally, in recent years, "cute" and "funny" content has gone viral via social media, particularly among younger users (Gen Z and Millennials), rapidly boosting awareness. The nature of social media allows content to spread globally without borders, increasing demand for seamless product development in collaboration with partners in each country.

Since the establishment of the Rights & Brands Asia Ltd., a joint venture in Hong Kong in September 2021, which was established to engage in licensing businesses in Asia, as well as the opening of a Shanghai branch in May 2024, ITOCHU has been promoting the anime and character licensing business in the Asian market. In October 2024, ITOCHU also acquired the exclusive rights to merchandise Opanchu Usagi, a popular character created by the creator Kawaisou ni!, in the Asian market (excluding Japan and South Korea), and development has begun. Opanchu Usagi was chosen as the most popular character for the second year in a row in the 2025 popular character ranking^*2 among teenage girls, and is expected to continue to captivate a growing fanbase.

ITOCHU has now launched its anime and character licensing business in the high-growth North American market. Through its network and local partnerships, ITOCHU will promote the development of Japanese anime and character goods, such as Opanchu Usagi, as well as titles handled by SKY Perfect Pictures Inc.^*3, a company involved in anime production. In addition to promoting the rapid rollout of products tailored to local needs, ITOCHU will help to seamlessly spread Japanese anime and character IPs globally by managing character licensing efficiently across the large Asian and North American markets.

ITOCHU has set its management policy with this theme: The Brand-new Deal - opportunities are shifting downstream –. Through this business, ITOCHU will gain knowledge and expertise in the licensing business to provide new products and services that meet the diverse needs of customers in the core consumer related sector. ITOCHU also aims to further develop anime characters across the globe.