The Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) has become the latest major investor to back Tokyo-based K2 Pictures’ pioneering new film production fund, signaling growing institutional confidence in the company’s bid to shake up Japan’s long-stagnant film financing system.
K2 Pictures announced Friday that it has secured a 500 million yen ($3.3 million) investment from DBJ for its flagship K2P Film Fund I, adding momentum to the year-old company’s efforts to create what founder and CEO Muneyuki Kii calls “a new ecosystem for Japanese cinema.”
The deal follows earlier support from Japanese megabank MUFG, which joined the fund this summer in what analysts described as an unprecedented show of support for an independent film company. K2’s growing list of blue-chip partners is a powerful vote of confidence – even if these entities’ investment sums have been modest – highlighting the extent to which even the country’s conservative financial sector is beginning to view the startup’s approach to the film industry as a viable investment category.
In a Japanese cinema landscape dominated by conglomerate franchises and animated blockbusters, the K2 fund positions itself as a rare and friendly bridge between independent cinema and capital.
Founded in 2023, K2 Pictures is the brainchild of Kii, a 25-year Toei veteran and producer of hit anime titles such as Evangelion: 3.0 that you can (not) redo, The first slam dunk And Rider Shin Kamen – who launched the company aiming to shake up the notoriously risk-averse Japanese “production committee” model. Under this traditional system, films are co-financed by vast consortia of studios, broadcasters and publishers, a process that critics say stifles creative autonomy and limits filmmakers’ profit sharing.
K2’s alternative structure seeks to attract domestic and international investors through a transparent profit-sharing model that returns a portion of revenue directly to creators, reducing intermediary fees and aligning incentives between production and financing. The fund supported his first feature film, Mag Maga comedy directed by popular Japanese comedian Yuriyan Retriever, scheduled for release in February 2026.
Launching during the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, K2 Pictures revealed an ambitious creative alliance with some of Japan’s most celebrated filmmakers – including Hirokazu Kore-eda, Takashi Miike, Shunji Iwai, Miwa Nishikawa and Kazuya Shiraishi – as well as anime powerhouse MAPPA, the studio behind Jujutsu Kaisen 0 And Attack on Titan. All partners have expressed their intention to work with the startup on future projects.
“In launching this fund, we aimed to present a new financing option for the Japanese film industry,” Kii said in a statement. “We spent valuable time preparing and consulting extensively with a broad group of investors. We are delighted that the Development Bank of Japan, a government-affiliated financial institution, has recognized the value of our initiative and agreed to participate. Entertainment and finance are often perceived as distant fields, and indeed, this has been the case. However, to compete globally, a strong connection between the two is essential.”
DBJ added: “We deeply resonate with K2 Pictures’ vision to globalize the Japanese film industry. We are also impressed by their approach to innovate film production and financing methods by involving a wide range of stakeholders, including those in related industries. We are excited to join them in this endeavor.”
