Crowdfunding as cultural policy? Converging cultural crowdfunding and public support in Japanese creative industries

This article investigates the institutionalisation of cultural crowdfunding in Japan as a mode of cultural governance and economic organisation. Drawing on interviews, campaign data, and policy document analysis, it examines how crowdfunding has been reconfigured through public policy mechanisms, including tax incentives, government-led campaigns, and partnerships between cultural agencies and digital platforms. These developments are situated within shifting relations between the state, cultural labour, and digital infrastructures, revealing how valuation practices, public trust, and affective economies intersect in the governance of cultural production. By analysing crowdfunding as both a financial device and a cultural technology, the article explores how state actors perform new forms of legitimacy and accountability in conditions of fiscal austerity. The analysis reveals a distinctive model of cultural crowdfunding in Japan shaped by digital fan practices and local cultural policy experimentation. While these initiatives offer new pathways for civic engagement and financial support for creative workers, they also raise concerns about sustainability, equity among municipalities, and the appropriateness of relying on episodic donations to fund long-term cultural goals. This article argues that Japan’s case contributes to diversifying global debates on cultural economy and creative industries.