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| Several groups of
professional cartoonists exist in Japan, however, the Japan Cartoonists
Association (JCA) is the only vocational organization which includes all
professional cartoonists nationwide. It was established in December of 1964,and its membership is not limited only to leading cartoonists of Japan but includes those working at many levels and from many localities, a total of 475 members. Those who work on witty single cartoons, comic strips and caricatures have also joined the Association as "cartoonists". This organization is financed by dues from members, but since this is insufficient to keep the organization going, its capital is supplemented by promoting such events as "How to Draw Cartoons and Comics Workshop "for cartoon fans and amateur cartoonists, as well as other cartoon related events. Although the Association's statues stipulate that the officers may be paid for their services, all of the currently active professional cartoonists are working for the Association on a voluntary basis. The Association consists of the following functional divisions; General Affairs Division Finance Division Copyright Division (Handles investigation and counseling on infringement of copyrights, etc.) Operations Division (Handles planning of events, such as exhibitions.) Tax Counseling Division (Assists on tax return matters, etc.) Health Insurance Division (Liaison with the "Literary and Fine Artists Health Insurance Association") Public Relations Division (Publishes "News Letter"5 times a year...not sent abroad since it is written in Japanese.) International Division (Exchanges cartoon related information with foreign countries.) The Above divisions are handled by cartoonists who are members of this Association. Since the Association is a nationwide organization, it is divided into 9 geographical branches from Hokkaido in the north to Okinawa in the south. The only qualification for membership is that one has to be a professional cartoonist. There is no restriction by nationality for membership; however, as of May 1992,there have been no applications from non-Japanese cartoonists. It seems that there are no foreign professional cartoonists residing in Japan. There is no reason why foreign cartoonists would not be welcome in this country, but it is a fact that it is difficult to work here unless one can write and read Japanese. Our Association does not currently have any cartoonists who are completely fluent in foreign languages; therefore, the International Division has to employ translators from outside to interpret in any discussions with foreign cartoonists visiting Japan. (However, there are cartoonists who can manage day - to - day conversations in English, French, Italian and Spanish.) Under such circumstances, invitations to compete for the "Japan Cartoonists Association Award" are now sent only in Japanese and within Japan. This "Japan Cartoonists Association Award" has been given for 21 years; the amount of the cash award has varied from time to time depending on the financial condition of the Association. However, the reputation of this award as the most prestigious of its kind in Japan has been established. We recognize that more interchange with foreign cartoon societies is extremely important and meaningful. The introduction of foreign cartoons into Japan and vice versa is one of the major functions of the JCA. With this objective the International Division and the Operations Division have upgraded their current office staff. |
