Sojitz Corporation, the Development Bank of Japan (Governor: Takeshi Komura; Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo) and KlockWorx Co., Ltd. (Representative: Nobuhiko Sako; Head office: Ebisu-Minami, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo) have set up the Japan Contents Investment Business Limited Partnership to promote the export of Japanese animation content.

The Japan Contents Investment Business LPS, in which Sojitz, DBJ and KlockWorx hold 64 percent, 28 percent and 8 percent stakes respectively, has a total investment of approximately 1.4 billion yen. The partnership will establish ARM, a wholly-owned company, to support, in both business and financial terms, the purchase of Japanese animation content by overseas distributors. ARM will purchase Japanese animation content and sublicense it to overseas distributors. Furthermore, as the first step in promoting exports, the Japan Contents Investment Business LPS will facilitate business development in North America of animation content handled by ARM, by investing in North America's leading animation distributor AD Vision Inc. (President & CEO: John Ledford; Head Office: Houston, Texas).

Sojitz has a contents business track record of handling 100 pieces of content, and of exporting to over 30 countries. The company will, on an ongoing basis, export quality content that is internationally competitive, taking the global market into consideration. In addition, Sojitz is focused on acquisition of the international rights for and distribution of copyrighted content which is specific to the field of WNM (Wireless & New Media), such as cellular phones and the Internet. Sojitz aims to expand its contents business in the global market through the provision, via ARM, of content and by providing the knowledge of the content business that it has cultivated, using as a foothold the company's cooperation with and capital participation in AD Vision.

As part of its efforts to create and activate new industries, DBJ has been providing the content industry with vigorous support. DBJ continues to focus its efforts on business support and the establishment of finance schema in the field of imaging, in which Japan boasts a high level of competitiveness. The bank also continues to be engaged in efforts which will lead to the development of overseas contents business and facilitation of multidimensional content use, and which will promote a positive growth cycle to expand content use.

KlockWorx will not only purchase content from overseas, in which it has always excelled, and market such content domestically, but also will undertake marketing operations in the North American market for content it purchases in Asia and Europe. The business, which until now has been import-oriented, will be developed bi-directionally through exports via ARM. Consequently, more purchases and distribution of content than ever before can be expected.