ITOCHU Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Keita Ishii, President & COO; hereinafter “ITOCHU”) announced today that, through its wholly owned subsidiary iRightsport Inc. (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Hikaru Inadome, Representative Director and President hereinafter “iRightsport”), it has acquired a 40% equity interest in Octas LLC (headquartered in California, United States; Vincent Shortino, CEO; hereinafter “Octas”), a North America-based licensing agent with a strong track record in developing Japanese anime and character IP, and it has converted Octas into an equity-method affiliate.

North America, the world’s largest content market, has seen growing popularity of Japanese anime and character IP driven by the growth of video streaming platforms. In parallel, the merchandising market related to this content continues to grow at a strong pace. Against this backdrop, demand is increasing for licensing agents capable of developing merchandising strategies aligned with both the unique characteristics of each title and local market needs.

Octas bring a deep understanding of both the Japanese and the United States content industries, along with extensive network of licensees, including manufacturers and retailers, across North America. The company has played a key role in introducing and growing Japanese anime and character IP in the region. Since May 2025, Octas has also been advancing merchandising initiatives in North America for popular characters promoted by ITOCHU, including Opanchu Usagi^*1 and Npochamu^*2

ITOCHU has accumulated extensive experience and a proven track record in the global development of Japanese content, including anime and character IP, through initiatives such as the establishment of Rights & Brands Asia Ltd.,^*3 which operates licensing businesses in Asia, and its investment in SKY Perfect Pictures Inc.,^*4 a company engaged in anime production. In October 2025, ITOCHU established iRightsport, a new company positioned at the core of its IP content business, and converted SKY Perfect Pictures Inc. into an equity-method affiliate.^*5

Through this investment, the ITOCHU Group will leverage its global network and business development capabilities
in combination with Octas’ execution strength in the North American market to further accelerate the expansion of Japanese anime and character IP across the region.