7[2]General Situation in each Individual Prefecture
General Situation in each Individual Prefecture
In this section we will examine the film business situation in each specific prefecture.
The film attendance in each prefecture in 2017 has not yet been announced to the public. We obtained
these figures as rough estimates based on the attendance in each prefecture cited in the “SpecialService Industry Situation Research Report on Film Theaters” (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, 2010,2012, 2013 and 2014). We calculated the percentage of attendance of each prefecture against the nationwide

attendance cited in the above reports. Then, using the number of the nationwide attendance in 2017
reported by Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, we multiplied this number by thepercentage of each prefecture, to come up with the attendance of each prefecture in 2017.
Naturally, the prefectures with big cities and the “ordinance-designated cities” (bestowed higher autonomy)
dominated the top of the list, such as Tokyo, Osaka, Kanagawa, Aichi, Saitama, Chiba, Fukuoka, Hyogo,
Hokkaido and Shizuoka.
The above prefectures also occupied the top of the list for number of screens. From 2016 to 2017, thenumber of screens increased by 54 nationwide. During the three years from 2014 to 2017, the numberof screens increased by 167, making roughly an increase of 50 screens each year. Among the 167
screens, the top 3 prefectures make up 85 screens (Tokyo from 335 to 365, increasing by 30 screens; Aichi from 258
to 293, increasing by 35 screens; and Osaka from 204 to 224, increasing by 20 screens) . Most increases of screens

resulted from the increases of multi-screen theaters in city centers.
The average number of films a person went to see annually was also obtained for each prefecture. The
national average in 2017 was 1.4 films. Tokyo’s number, 2.1 films, was the highest, followed by Osaka’s
1.7, and Kyoto’s, Aichi’s and Fukuoka’s 1.6.
The national average population per screen was 35,934. When this figure is lower, it means there are
more screens in the area, and the inhabitants feel the screens are easily accessible. The numbers in
two prefectures, Ishikawa (18,811) and Yamagata (19,657), were each less than 20,000. The average
numbers of films a person went to see annually in these two prefectures was above the national
average, as seen in Ishikawa (1.6 films) and Yamagata (1.7 films). Thus one may conclude that if you havemore theaters, you will see more films.
At the other end of the scale, the prefectures whose average population per screen exceeded 50,000
were: Iwate (54,557), Fukushima (72,326), Yamanashi (58,827), Tottori (51,385), Kochi (64,860), Nagasaki (54,142)
and Miyazaki (60,447). In these prefectures, people live further from screens and the average numbersof films a person went to see annually was less than 1, with limited opportunities to watch films attheaters.
Watching films usually becomes a habit. If you do not have theaters around you, you do not haveopportunities to go to see films. In the areas where there is no movie theater, public venues andtraveling movie theaters are occasionally hosted. Recently, film festivals and new types ofindependent film exhibitions have been increasing. Movie theaters obviously support local film
culture, but we have to take it into consideration that film exhibition environments could be uncounted
in these film business statistics.

8General Situation in Each Prefecture

9Changes in Number of Screens in each Prefecture (2008-2017)
The nationwide number of screens in Japan increased by 170 from 3,361 to 3,531 during the 10 years
from 2008 to 2017. During these 10 years, there were two critical events. The first one was the Great
East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011. The second one was the movie theater’s digitalization (a shift
from film to DCP) that started around 2009 and, for the most part, was completed by 2013. From 2010 to2012, the number of screens decreased by more than 100, however, after theater digitalization wascompleted in 2013, the number has been once again increasing.
The prefectures where numbers of screens have notably increased during the last 10 years are: Aichi(by 49 screens), Saitama (by 25 screens), Kyoto (by 23 screens), Yamagata (by 20 screens), Chiba (by 19 screens) andOsaka (by 19 screens). In the prefectures with big cities, multi-screen theaters have been opening in citycenters. In Tokyo, during these 10 years the number of screens has decreased by 15, however, during
the last 3 years, it has increased by 30.
The two cinema chains that are the main driving forces behind these increases: are Toho Cinemas andAeon Cinema. Aeon Cinema (until 2013, Warner Mycal Cinemas) has opened 28 sites (theaters) and 251 screens
since 2008, becoming the biggest multi-screen theater chain in Japan with more than 90 sites. Toho
Cinemas has also been attracting a lot of attention by opening 18 sites and 173 screens during the last
10 years, including in city centers like Nihonbashi, Shinjuku and Ueno. (Toho Cinemas Hibiya in March 2018).
Prefectures where the numbers of screens have significantly decreased are: Miyagi (by 22 screens), Gifu
(by 22 screens) and Tokyo (by 15 screens). In Miyagi, the number decreased by 31 from 94 in 2008 to 63 in 2011,

but in 2016 Toho Cinemas Sendai opened with 9 screen, making its current number 72 screens.

10Changes in Number of Screens in Each Prefecture (2008-2017)

11
Changes in Number of Theaters and Screens according to Theater Types (2008-2017)
We will now examine how the numbers of theaters and screens have changed according to theater
types in each prefecture.
Hokkaido and Tohoku Region
In the Hokkaido and Tohoku regions, the number of screens in 2017 was 355, decreasing by 22 from thenumber in 2008; and the number of theaters in 2017 was 64, decreasing by 20 from that in 2008. Their
number of screens accounted for 10% of the nationwide number, and the number of theaters
accounted for 11% of the national number. During the last 10 years, the population of these two regions
decreased by 5.2% (the national average was a decrease of 0.7%). Consequently the two regions populations
accounted for 11.2% of the nationwide population.
In Hokkaido, the number of theaters decreased by 10 and the number of screens decreased by 10. InMiyagi, the number of theaters decreased by 4 and the amount of screens by 22. In Hokkaido, 7conventional theaters closed in Sapporo City (Sapporo Marion Theater in 2009, Asahikawa Toho in 2010, Sapporo Toho
Plaza in 2011, Dinos Cinema in 2011 and others). In Miyagi, 2 multi-screen theaters in Sendai City (Sendai Korona Worldwith 12 screens and Izumi Korona World with 10 screens) permanently closed after the 2011 earthquake. Theseclosures had a big impact in Miyagi, however, Toho Cinemas Sendai (with 9 screens) opened in 2016 tomitigate against these impacts.
Miyako Cinemarine, a movie theater operating mobile screenings along the sea shore of Iwate
Prefecture after the 2011 earthquake, closed in September 2016. This left the coastal area with nomovie theater. In the Hokkaido and Tohoku Region, Yamagata Prefecture increased its number ofscreens by 20 and that of theaters increased by 2. Among the 7 theaters that opened in Hokkaido andTohoku, 3 opened in Yamagata Prefecture (MOVIE ON Yamagata, Forum Higashine, and Aeon Cinema Tendo).
In Iwate, Akita and Fukushima Prefectures, the number of screens per population is low, thus thepopulation per screen is high: 54,557 in Iwate, 49,769 in Akita and 72,326 in Fukushima. These figures
are much higher than the national average, showing that many people in these prefectures are far
from theaters. There are many areas in this region with no theaters at all, not just limited to the areas
along the Pacific Ocean shore. Traveling screenings taking advantage of public venues have been
active. Recently, new types of independent film exhibition have been increasing. With population
shrinking, the activities providing local people with film culture and the experience of watching films
on a big screen should become increasingly important in areas with no theaters.
Kanto Region
In the Kanto Region, the number of screens was 1,208 in 2017, increasing by 48 from that in 2008; andthe number of theaters in 2017 was 195, decreasing by 38 from that in 2008.

This region’s number ofscreens occupied 34% of the nationwide number, and the number of theaters occupied 33%. The
population during these 10 years increased by 3.2% (Japan’s average was a decrease of 0.7%), and thepopulation increased in the 4 prefectures of Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo and Kanagawa. The population inthis region occupied 34% of the nationwide population.
During the last 10 years in this region, 28 multi-screen theaters opened while some closed. In Chiba
Prefecture, 5 opened and 3 closed. Among 28 newly opened multi-screen theaters, 7 were in Tokyoand opened after 2013.
In Tokyo during these 10 years, notably, the number of theaters decreased by 34, and that of screensdecreased by 17. This was mostly due to closings of mini-/repertory, and conventional theaters.
Particularly in Shibuya, 8 mini-theaters (Cinema Rise, Cine Quinto, Human Trust Cinema Bunkamura-dori, Cine Saison
Shibuya, Ebisu Garden Cinema, etc.) closed and attracted attention.

In other areas, repertory and conventional theaters (Ginza Cine Pathos, Cinemart Roppongi, Asakusa Shingekijo,
Asakusa Meiga-za, Asakusa Chuei, Sangenjaya Chuo Gekijo, Sangenjaya Cinema, Yuraku-za, Shinjuku Koma Toho, Shinjuku
Milano-za, Ueno Tokyu, Kichijoji Baus Theater, etc.) also closed. However, as we described above, 7 multi-screen

theaters opened and the number of screens increased by 30 after 2013. During the last 3 years, newmulti-screen theaters have also been opening in Saitama and Chiba, and it looks like multi-screen
theaters will continue to increase in big city centers.
In Kanagawa Prefecture, new types of mini-theater have begun to open, such as Cinema Amigo (Zushi12City), Cinekoya (Fujisawa City), Amyu Atsugi (Atsugi City), Yokohama Cinemarine and Cinema Nove Cento(Yokohama City).

Also, 12 adult film theaters closed and the number of such theaters fell to 4 with 7 screens. Ueno Okura
Theater re-opened in 2010 after its renovation.
Chubu Region
In the Chubu Region, the number of screens in 2017 was 713, increasing by 48 from that in 2008; and thenumber of theaters in 2017 was 111, decreasing by 20 from that in 2008. The region’s number of screens
occupied 20% of the nationwide number; and the number of theaters occupied 19%. During these 10years, its population decreased by 2.1% (Japan’s average was a decrease of 0.7%), meaning the populationoutside of Aichi Prefecture decreased. This region’s population in 2017 was 16.8% of the nationwide
population.
In Aichi, the number of screens increased by 49, in Gifu Prefecture, that decreased by 20, and inIshikawa Prefecture, that increased by 15. In the whole Chubu Region, during these 10 years, 20
multi-screen theaters opened. Among them, 8 theaters and 82 screens opened in Aichi, and among
these 8 theaters, 4 opened between 2016 and 2017. In Ishikawa, the number of screens per population
is high, and in 2017, one more multi-screen theater (Aeon Cinema Shin-Komatsu) opened.
On the other hand, in Toyama and Gifu, some multi-screen theaters closed. Notably, the number ofscreens in Gifu decreased by 20. In Toyama, multi-screen theater Toyama Theater Daitokai, andmini-theater Forza Sogawa (operated by a collaborative organization with the city) closed in 2016. That year, a new
multi-screen theater J-MAX Theater Toyama (8 screens) opened.
Takada Sekai-kan in Niigata Prefecture, Nagano Roxy/Nagano Shochiku Aioiza, Ueda Eigeki, andShiojiri Azuma-za in Nagano Prefecture, changed their programming from one with big commercial
films to that of mini- and repertory theater, creating new images. In Shizuoka Prefecture, during these
10 years, 11 conventional theaters closed and there is no theater.
Kinki Region
In Kinki, the number of screens in 2017 was 583, increasing by 59 from that of 2008; and the number oftheaters in 2017 was 97, decreasing by 20 from that of 2008. This region’s number of screens and thatof theaters both occupied 17% of the nationwide numbers. During these 10 years, the region’spopulation decreased by 1.2% (Japan’s average was a decrease of 0.7%), and the population in 2017 was 17.7% of
the nationwide population. In Shiga and Osaka Prefectures, their populations increased.
During these 10 years, 16 multi-screen theaters opened, however, no theaters opened after 2015.

It isa national trend that conventional theaters have been transformed to multi-screen theaters in big citycenters. In Hyogo and Osaka Prefectures, conventional theaters began to close. In Osaka during these
10 years, 11 closed and there is no conventional theater now. (There are 8 mini- and repertory theaters with 14screens.) In Hyogo, 7 conventional theaters were closed. Among them, Toyooka Gekijo changed itsmanagement, and after a large-scale renovation, it re-opened with a mini-theater programming. InMie Prefecture, Jisto Cinema Iga Ueno closed in March 2018 and there is no conventional theater. InKyoto Prefecture, the number of screens increased by 23 because 2 multi-screen theaters with 12screens opened in Kyoto City.
In Nara Prefecture, during these 10 years, the number of theaters decreased by 2 and the number ofscreens by 5, which may not look significant. However, there were big changes: 3 multi-screentheaters closed (Cinema Dept Yuraku Cinema with 8 screen, MOVIX Kashihara with 9 screens, and Kashihara Cine Ark with 5screens), while 2 opened (Cinema Sunshine Yamato-Kohriyama with 9 screens and United Cinema Kashihara with 9 screens).

In Nara, there are no other theaters beyond multi-screen theaters; however, the Nara InternationalFilm Festival operates regular screenings throughout the year, not just during the time of the festival.
Chugoku and Shikoku Region
The number of screens in the Chugoku and Shikoku Region in 2017 was 281, increasing by 20 from thatin 2008, and the number of theaters in 2017 was 51, decreasing by 12 from that in 2008. The number ofscreens in this region occupied 8% of the nationwide number, and that of theaters was 9%. During
these 10 years, the region’s population decreased by 3.9% (Japan’s average was a decrease of 0.7%), and the13
2017 population occupied 8.8% of the nationwide population.
There were not many changes during these 10 years in numbers. The prefectures whose number ofscreens increased by more than 10 screens are: Okayama and Tokushima with one multi-screen
theater each opened; and Ehime Prefecture with 2 opened. During these 10 years, there was no change
in Kagawa Prefecture. In Hiroshima Prefecture, a multi-screen theater with 9 screens opened inHiroshima City, while 7 conventional theaters with 13 screens and 2 adult film theaters closed, making
little to no difference in comparison of numbers.
Likewise in Yamaguchi Prefecture, one multi-screen theater with 8 screens opened, while 5
conventional and mini-theaters closed with 12 screens, resulting in no conventional theater. In theprefectural capital city of Yamaguchi, there is no movie theater, however, Yamaguchi Center for Arts
and Media has been compensating for this situation by presenting a mini-theater like programming
every day. In Kochi Prefecture, mini-theater Weekend Kinema M opened in October 2017, taking
advantage of an empty building space in the middle of the shopping area.
In Shikoku and in the Japan Sea shore areas in Chugoku, the area with no theaters has spread. InShimane Prefecture, the Shimane Film Festival has been hosted in various areas of the prefecture,providing their local people opportunities of watching films on a big screen.
Kyushu and Okinawa Region
In the Kyushu and Okinawa Region, the number of screens was 391, increasing by 17 from that in 2008;
and the number of theaters was 68, decreasing by 8 from that in 2008. The number of screens in thisregion occupied 11% of the nationwide number, and the number of theaters was 12%. During these 10years, the region’s population decreased by 1.6% (Japan’s average was a decrease of 0.7%), resulting in 11.3% thenationwide population.
In this region, during these 10 years, there have not been many changes in numbers. Only in
Kagoshima Prefecture was there a change of more than 10 screens, where 2 multi-screen theaters
opened. In Saga Prefecture, one multi-screen theater closed, resulting in no theater except in Saga
City. In Nagasaki Prefecture, a conventional theater closed in both Sasebo City and Isahaya City,
resulting in there being no theaters except in Nagasaki City and Sasebo City. In Miyazaki Prefecture,
there was no change during these 10 years. In Nagasaki and Miyazaki Prefectures, the number ofscreens per population is low, thus the population per screen is high: 54,142 in Nagasaki, and 60,447 inMiyazaki.
In Fukuoka Prefecture, two mini-theaters (Cineterie Tenjin and Cine Libre Hakata Station) closed in Fukuoka City,
resulting in one mini-/repertory theater in this city. Fukuoka City Public Library presents screenings
every day in its Auditorium Cinera, functioning as a repertory theater.