International Otaku Expo Association

The International Otaku Expo Association (IOEA), stylized as I.O.E.A, is an international cooperative association of otaku fan event organizers from around the world. The term otaku is used to indicate enthusiasm for Japanese pop culture and subculture surrounding anime, manga, games and fashion. The association does not limit membership to events that focus solely on Japanese culture. Any association that wishes to embrace otaku culture, whether it be Japanese or non-Japanese, is welcome to apply for membership with the IOEA.[1]

I.O.E.A
International Otaku Expo Association
国際オタクイベント協会
AbbreviationIOEA
FormationMarch 27, 2015; 9 years ago (2015-03-27)
HeadquartersAkihabara, Tokyo, Japan
Key people
Websitehttps://ioea.info

As of July 2023 the IOEA currently has over 123 member events around the world, in 46 countries/regions in every continent except Antarctica.[2]

History

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Fans of anime and manga have been networking with each other since the 1980s. Osamu Tezuka had visited the American fan organization Cartoon/Fantasy Organization in the 1980s.[3]

Since at least 2007, Comic Market staff have been discussing about the many international visitors that have been attending Comic Market through the years which also included foreign press.[4]

Discussions among numerous fan events for a cooperative association started prior to Comic Market's 2015 Comiket Special 6 Otaku Summit, an event that invited many otaku events from around the world. While numerous parties were involved in the creation of the IOEA. Takamasa Sakurai, Kazutaka Sato, and Dan Kanemitsu (Japanese Wikipedia Entry) were the original planning group.[5][6]

The IOEA was formally established on March 27, 2015 during Comiket Special 6 Otaku Summit held in Makuhari Messe, Chiba.[6][7][8][9]

Initial Signatory Events

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During Comiket Special 6 a total of 30 events from around the world became the initial signatory events to help officially establish the IOEA. The first 8 events became the "Trustee Events" and serve as part of the Board of Trustees.[7]

Initial Board of Trustee Events

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Signatory Events

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  • Anime Boston (United States)
  • Anime North (Canada)
  • Otakon Vegas (United States)
  • Expo TNT (Mexico)
  • J'Fest (Mexico)
  • Lima Comics (Peru)
  • Comics Barcelona (Spain)
  • Aki Con (Russia)
  • Ani Con (Russia)
  • AniNite (Austria)
  • Asia Breeze (Russia)
  • DoKoMi (Germany)
  • Fenix (Russia)
  • JapAniManga (Switzerland)
  • MinamiCon (United Kingdom)
  • Nippon Nation (Austria)
  • Siberia Otaku Saiten (Russia)
  • Comic Fiesta (Malaysia)
  • Fancy Frontier (Taiwan)
  • Overload New Zealand (New Zealand)
  • Thailand Comic Con (Thailand)
  • Visual Arts Expo (Malaysia)

Otaku Summit 2020

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Otaku Summit 2020 was an event that was part of the 2020 Tokyo Cultural Olympiad of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics that ran June 26–27, 2021.[11] It was hosted at Sunshine City in Ikebukuro, considered as one of the major Otaku spots around Tokyo besides Akihabara,[12] as part of Toshima City's cultural event for the Cultural Programme of the Olympics.[13] The IOEA intended to host Otaku Summit 2020 on June 27–28, 2020 near the start of the Tokyo Olympics however due to the COVID-19 Global Pandemic the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were postponed to the following year and so was Otaku Summit.[14]

References

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  1. ^ "世界中で急増する調査兵団、腐女子に留まらない『ユーリ』人気、奇跡の視聴率100%アニメ――今知るべき"海外オタク"の最前線【国際オタクイベント協会 代表インタビュー】". ニコニコニュース オリジナル (in Japanese). 2018-08-09. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
  2. ^ "I.O.E.A Member Expo List". ioea.info. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  3. ^ "A brief history of the Cartoon/Fantasy Organization, America's first anime fan club — by Sy Sable". Dogpatch Press. 2020-04-28. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  4. ^ "コミックマーケット72 3日目反省会". 橋本充電中 (in Japanese). 16 July 2011. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  5. ^ "Interview: International Otaku Expo Association". Anime News Network. 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  6. ^ a b "コミケ、超会議、Otakon発起イベントの『国際オタクイベント協会』設立 (Japanese)". おたくま経済新聞. 2015-03-30. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  7. ^ a b "30 Japanese & International Otaku Events Form Association". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  8. ^ Kelts, Roland (2017-09-24). "IOEA: The grass-roots gospel of otaku culture". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  9. ^ "5年に1度の"オタクの祭典"開幕 コミケ開催40周年、海外視野に進化 (Japanese)". ORICON NEWS. 2018-10-31. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  10. ^ "About ACGHK – 香港動漫電玩節 2021" (PDF). ani-com.hk. p. 7. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  11. ^ "ANIME NEWS: Otaku Summit 2020 gives geeks their own Tokyo Olympics event | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis". The Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  12. ^ "The complete guide to geek culture in Tokyo". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  13. ^ "IOEA to Host 'Otaku Summit 2020' Event as Official Programme in Association with Tokyo Olympics". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  14. ^ "池袋で「オタクサミット」6月開催へ オタク文化を世界へ発信 (Japanese)". 池袋経済新聞. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
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