Gunma-chan's 8-Person Team & The 4.1 Trillion Yen Market: Weekly Oshikatsu News (Feb 6, 2026)
Here is our roundup of standout corporate oshikatsu (fan activity) marketing and fan-business news from the week of January 30 to February 5, 2026.
This Week’s Highlights
The defining theme of this week was elevating character management from a side duty handled alongside other tasks into a dedicated organizational business.
Gunma Prefecture has been operating its “Gunma-chan Promotion Office,” the team in charge of the mascot Gunma-chan, with an 8-person structure divided into a Content Section and a Promotion Section. Staff noted that the 2021 anime adaptation decisively boosted the character’s brand value. Meanwhile, ClaN Entertainment announced that it raised approximately 1.15 billion yen through a third-party allotment to Nippon Television Network Corporation, aiming to strengthen its production structure for social media promotions featuring VTubers.
Market size figures were also updated this week. According to the third survey by the Oshikatsu Research Institute (Oshikatsu Soken), the oshikatsu population has reached approximately 19.4 million people, and the overall market size stands at roughly 4.1 trillion yen. The market grew from approximately 3.5 trillion yen the previous year, meaning that one in four people aged 15–69 in Japan is now engaging in oshikatsu.
Raising Characters Through Dedicated Organizations Rather Than Side Duties
Gunma Prefecture’s Gunma-chan Promotion Office — An 8-Person Structure and 78 Anime Episodes
Gunma Prefecture’s mascot Gunma-chan carries roughly 40 years of history, dating back to the first-generation character that debuted at the 1983 Akagi National Sports Festival. The prototype for the current second-generation mascot, originally named “Yuuma-chan,” was designed in 1994 through an open public competition by Fumiko Nakajima, who was a prefectural government employee at the time. The character succeeded to the name “second-generation Gunma-chan” in 2008 and was appointed “Gunma Prefecture PR Director” in 2012. As of January 2026, the Gunma-chan Promotion Office—housed within the Entertainment and Content Division of the Governor’s Strategic Department—was operating with an 8-person team split into a Content Section and a Promotion Section. The character’s television anime aired Season 1 in 2021 and Season 2 in 2023, totaling 78 episodes (Sendenkaigi (in Japanese), AdverTimes. by Sendenkaigi (in Japanese)).
Yoshie Ando of the Promotion Office explained their approach: “We have carried out our activities with the belief that if Gunma-chan works hard to raise recognition and likability, Gunma Prefecture itself will be pulled along and people will take an interest in the prefecture.” The original intent behind the character’s design has also been passed down. Nakajima has stated that she created the character as “a mascot who stays right beside children at all times regardless of winning or losing, speaking to them as if to say, ‘I’m always right here by your side.’”
- First-Generation DebutAppeared at the Akagi National Sports Festival
- Second-Generation Prototype "Yuuma-chan"Designed via public contest by then-prefectural employee Fumiko Nakajima
- Name Succession and PR Director RoleBecame 2nd-generation Gunma-chan in 2008 and Gunma Prefecture PR Director in 2012
- Anime Seasons 1 and 2 BroadcastReached a total of 78 episodes designed for repeatable global online PR
- Dedicated 8-Person Promotion OfficeOperated via specialized Content and Promotion sections under the Governor's Strategic Department
Source: The Oshi Lab's summary of the article
Lab Note: At a time when most local government mascots are managed as an extra duty by public relations staff, the fact that Gunma Prefecture maintains a specialized 8-person office makes a decisive difference. Moreover, the prefecture positioned the anime adaptation around the strategic goal of being able to stream it worldwide over the internet and reuse it repeatedly as a PR tool. If an organization wants to turn character operations into a business that delivers real results, it needs to start by assigning dedicated personnel.
ClaN Entertainment — Raising Roughly 1.15 Billion Yen With Nippon TV as Underwriter
On January 29, 2026, ClaN Entertainment carried out a capital increase of approximately 1.15 billion yen through a third-party allotment of shares underwritten by Nippon Television Network Corporation. Founded in 2022, ClaN Entertainment focuses primarily on planning and operating social media promotions that utilize VTubers. With this new funding, the company stated that it plans to expand tie-up projects and strengthen its production structure, while also investing in its merchandise sales business and advancing the global expansion of its in-house IP (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).
Lab Note: The dynamic of a major Tokyo key television network investing in a VTuber marketing company is highly symbolic. It combines the production capabilities of a television broadcaster with the community power of VTubers. Capital alliances between established legacy media and fandom businesses are likely to continue going forward. For companies that do not have an organic fan community of their own, acquiring or partnering with a fandom-native company becomes a realistic strategic option.
Shibuya Font — 756 Cumulative Designs, Returning 10% to 50% of Sales to Support Facilities
In December 2025, the general incorporated association Shibuya Font released 11 new fonts and 66 new patterns, bringing its cumulative total to 756 designs. The initiative works through a collaborative mechanism in which students at Kuwasawa Design School convert lettering and artwork created by people with disabilities who live or work in Shibuya Ward into usable digital data. Shibuya Font has been partnering with 10 support facilities within the ward, and 10% to 50% of sales generated from data usage are returned to those facilities. Starting in 2022, the project expanded nationwide as “Local Fonts” (Gotouchi Font), spreading to 22 regions across Japan as of January 2026 (AdverTimes. (in Japanese), PR TIMES (in Japanese)).
Lab Note: The real value here lies in the fact that Shibuya Font has kept going since 2016 and steadily built its catalog up to 756 designs. Rather than treating welfare collaboration as a one-off charity event, they designed a system where the more the data is used, the more revenue is returned—which is why it has been able to continue. When companies undertake this kind of initiative, whether it lasts depends on whether they can build it into an ongoing business operation rather than treating it as a donation.
The Oshikatsu Population Reaches 19.4 Million as the Market Expands to 4.1 Trillion Yen
Oshikatsu Research Institute 3rd Survey — 1 in 4 People Aged 15–69 in Japan Practice Oshikatsu
The Oshikatsu Research Institute (Oshikatsu Soken, operated by CDG and Oshicoco) published the results of its third survey on actual oshikatsu conditions. The oshikatsu participation rate reached 24.0%, up 7.3 percentage points from the January 2025 survey. This participation rate corresponds to an estimated population of approximately 19.4 million people, representing an increase of 5.56 million from the previous figure of 13.84 million. The overall market size expanded from roughly 3.5 trillion yen to approximately 4.1 trillion yen. At the same time, average annual spending across all respondents decreased to 209,716 yen, down from 255,035 yen the previous year (PR TIMES (in Japanese)).
- 19.4M
- Estimated oshikatsu population (+5.56M from previous survey's 13.84M)
- 4.1T yen
- Estimated total market size (up from ~3.5T yen the previous year)
- 24.0%
- Participation rate among people aged 15–69 in Japan (+7.3 points from the January 2025 survey)
- 209,716 yen
- Average annual spending per person (down from 255,035 yen)
Source: The Oshi Lab's summary of the article
Lab Note: The number of people practicing oshikatsu is growing while spending per person is declining. This combination accurately reflects the current state of the market. The composition of the market has shifted from a small number of people spending deeply to a broad majority spending more lightly. If companies design their lineups solely around high-priced limited editions, they will miss out on the broader audience that has now expanded to 19.4 million people. Where a brand sets the lower end of its price range is becoming more important than ever.
AI Oshikatsu App “Oshimy” — A System That Shares Part of In-App Revenue With the Creator
Oshibloom launched a new feature called “Official Request” (Kounin Request) on its AI fan-activity app “Oshimy.” Official Request lets fans request an officially approved AI of their favorite creator or talent (oshi). Once requests reach a certain number, the company negotiates with the person or their agency and releases the AI only if permission is obtained. The company stated that this realizes a new oshikatsu model in which part of in-app revenue is shared with the talent (PR TIMES (in Japanese)).
Lab Note: In the relationship between AI characters and fans, the biggest point of contention is who holds the rights and receives the revenue. Amid growing controversy over cases where AI models are created without the subject’s permission, building official endorsement and revenue sharing directly into the platform’s structure deserves recognition. Companies that manage talent or character IP need to decide at the contract stage whether AI usage will be permitted.
University Partnerships and Local Government Projects Moved People Using Oshikatsu Approaches
Kewpie × Aoyama Gakuin University — 3,000 Meals Sold Out, Brand Awareness Up From 28% to 76%
Kewpie teamed up with Aoyama Gakuin University to conduct an industry-academia collaboration project for its plant-based food brand “GREEN KEWPIE” over a period of roughly four months. The target audience was defined using a student-coined term, “Muishiki-tarian” (“unconscious-tarians”—consumers who may not strongly prioritize health or environmental issues on their own, but will choose plant-based options if they look delicious and convenient). In October 2025, they held a 10-day dining event at the Aoyama Campus where approximately 3,000 meals sold out completely. As a result, brand awareness jumped 48 percentage points, rising from roughly 28% to roughly 76%. Furthermore, 92% of those who ate the meals responded that they “would like to purchase it in the future” or “would consider it if it were on store shelves” (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).
Students also reported that contrary to their initial hypothesis that “health-conscious Aoyama Gakuin students would prefer salads,” staple food items such as bread and noodle dishes actually sold out much faster in practice.
Lab Note: Presenting the gap between the initial persona hypothesis and actual purchasing behavior as a key takeaway shows admirable honesty. Moreover, that 48-point surge in brand awareness was achieved through a 10-day offline initiative. As a counter-reaction to an overemphasis on digital marketing, the value of creating physical spaces where people can actually taste a product is being re-evaluated.
Saga Prefecture × Kingdom — An Over 300-Meter-Long “Read-Through Seawall”
Celebrating both being the home prefecture of creator Yasuhisa Hara and the 20th anniversary of the serialization of the manga Kingdom, Saga Prefecture launched the project “Kingdom × Saga Prefecture” (playing on the Japanese word kakeru, meaning both “cross/collaborate” and “charge forward”). For a limited time, the prefecture gave Kyushu Saga International Airport the nickname “Saga Kingdom Airport,” exhibiting reproduced original manga art and Arita ware porcelain collaboration works. Along a seawall bordering the Ariake Sea, the prefecture installed an over 300-meter-long “Read-Through Seawall” (Dokuha-tei), allowing visitors to binge-read up through Volume 77 of the comic series in one stretch. Actor Kanata Hongo, Arita ware artist Yuki Inoue, and Governor Yoshinori Yamaguchi took the stage at the opening ceremony on January 27 (Cho! Animedia (in Japanese)).
Commenting on the Read-Through Seawall, Hongo remarked, “If you go every day, you can read every single volume for free, right? I thought, wow, they’re doing something amazing.” On the seawall display, extreme scenes from the manga are covered up using Saga Prefecture’s specialty Ariake Sea nori (seaweed), a touch that Hongo praised as having “great sense.”
Lab Note: The idea of filling an entire seawall with manga pages is extraordinarily bold. Even though visitors can read 77 volumes’ worth of manga there for free, it has become a destination that draws people in on its own merits. A destination for anime pilgrimage (seichi junrei) can be created even if a location isn’t the actual setting of the story. Saga Prefecture built an entire campaign of this scale strictly out of the connection of being the author’s hometown.
Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai Memorial Caravan — Sending Roughly 100 Myaku-Myaku Figures Nationwide
The Secretariat of the Headquarters for the World Expo of the Cabinet Secretariat announced plans for the “Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai Memorial Caravan: Expo Exhibition Connecting to the Future,” starting February 19 at the Marunouchi Building in Tokyo. The touring stops were scheduled for Fukuoka, Sapporo, and Sendai. With free admission, the exhibition was scheduled to feature the VR video experience “EXPO2025 360° Theater,” “Myaku-Myaku House,” and an architectural scale model of the Grand Ring. With the cooperation of JR West, it also planned the “Myaku-Myaku of the World Exhibition,” displaying approximately 100 painted Myaku-Myaku figures (AdverTimes. (in Japanese), The Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese)).
Lab Note: The momentum from Myaku-Myaku winning the Japan PR Grand Prix, which we covered in the previous issue, is flowing directly into this nationwide touring exhibition. Organizers are also connecting the character of a concluded event to promotion for the next exposition (GREEN×EXPO 2027). For companies planning major anniversaries or large-scale events, this serves as a practical reference on how to utilize brand assets after the main event closes.
Theme Parks and Food Chains Rolled Out Multi-IP Lineups
USJ “Universal Cool Japan 2026” — 5 Franchises Gather Together
“Universal Cool Japan 2026” opened at Universal Studios Japan (USJ) on January 30. This year’s event brings together five franchises: Detective Conan, Jujutsu Kaisen, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, the Masquerade novel series, and Monster Hunter Wilds. Within “Detective Conan World,” the park prepared three new attractions: a Real Escape Game, a Mystery Live Restaurant, and a Story Ride. USJ’s first-ever collaboration with Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End was scheduled for around early summer 2026 (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)).
Lab Note: USJ is rolling out five properties and intentionally staggering the operating periods by title—some running from January 30 through June 30, others through May 17. Rather than simply calling in the fans of a single work once, this schedule is designed to give visitors reasons to return multiple times throughout the season. Companies large enough to handle multiple IPs can raise the value of a visit not through isolated one-offs, but through how they layer and overlap those properties.
Kura Sushi × mofusand, Baskin-Robbins × Sanrio
Kura Sushi launched its first collaboration with “mofusand” starting February 6. The collaboration menu features five items in total, including Nyanko Cup Sushi for 400 yen, a Pote-Nyage Combo for 530 yen, and a Kuronyan Chocolate Cake for 480 yen. The “Bikkura Pon!” prize game videos were given special collaboration animations, with six varieties of rubber charms prepared as winning prizes. Gift bonuses awarded for every 2,500 yen spent at checkout were limited to the first 300,000 customers each for Round 1 and Round 2 (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)). Meanwhile, Baskin-Robbins (31 Ice Cream) announced limited-quantity sales of its “Sanrio Characters Hinadan Kazari” (Girls’ Day tiered doll display) for 2,400 yen (tax included) from February 15 to March 3. The set features Hello Kitty in a twelve-layered ceremonial kimono (juni-hitoe) as the Empress (Ohinasama) and Cinnamoroll as the Emperor (Odairisama) (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)).
Lab Note: Kura Sushi’s “Bikkura Pon!” is an existing mechanism the company already owns in-house. Simply slotting an IP into that mechanism creates a complete collaboration experience. Baskin-Robbins’ Hinadan Kazari is likewise a product that combines a traditional seasonal event with popular characters. Both are practical examples showing that pairing an IP with an existing signature product format is faster and less prone to failure than inventing a new campaign format from scratch.
STRICT-G × Dickies, Cells at Work! × Thank You Mart
“STRICT-G,” the apparel brand for Mobile Suit Gundam, announced its first collaboration with workwear brand Dickies, founded in 1922, with sales scheduled to start February 7. Two versions of work pants based on the details of the classic Dickies “874” model are priced at 15,400 yen each, T-shirts at 6,380 yen each, and GI belts at 3,850 yen each (all tax included). The Earth Federation Forces model was released in black, while the Principality of Zeon version came in khaki (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)). Meanwhile, discount variety shop Thank You Mart announced its first collaboration with Cells at Work! (Hataraku Saibou), with in-store sales scheduled to start in late February. Hat keychains and flake stickers are priced at 390 yen each (429 yen tax included). The chain also announced a laundry net recreating the Platelets’ “Road Closed” flag (Cho! Animedia (in Japanese)).
Lab Note: This week’s announcements included 15,400-yen work pants and 429-yen keychains. The former is aimed at the segment looking to buy “a piece that lasts a lifetime,” while the latter targets the segment looking to “buy just one item to try it out.” If spending per person is decreasing as the market survey mentioned earlier indicates, how well a brand can prepare accessible products for that latter group becomes critical.
Editorial Reflections on the Week
What gave us the most pause for thought this week was the fact that the oshikatsu market is shifting from “deep” to “broad.”
While the oshikatsu population has grown to 19.4 million people, annual spending per person has declined to 209,716 yen. This kind of shift inevitably happens as a market matures, but has corporate product design kept pace? Companies are now being tested on whether they can offer both high-priced limited editions and 429-yen keychains.
The other standout impression was Gunma Prefecture’s 8-person team. Gunma Prefecture does not leave character operations up to the personal enthusiasm of an individual staffer; it attaches a dedicated organization and budget to the work. Roughly 40 years have passed since the first-generation Gunma-chan debuted. The reason ClaN Entertainment raised 1.15 billion yen and the reason Shibuya Font built its catalog up to 756 designs share the exact same underlying logic: the organizations that build systems capable of continuing over time are the ones achieving results.
Alongside our guides on Oshikatsu Market Size and Oshikatsu Marketing Design Principles, we encourage you to look at this week’s developments through the lens of your own company’s organizational structure.
Weekly Oshikatsu News brings you a weekly roundup of the intersection between fan activities and business. You can browse past issues in the Oshikatsu × News category.
