TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 10, 2026--
The Association of Japanese Animations (AJA) announced on November 2 (Monday) at the finale of TOKYO ANIME NEXT’s Main Event, held at Tokyo Tatemono Brillia HALL in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, that its new anime awards, launching in 2027, will be called the Nippon Anime Awards. The AJA also unveiled the award’s slogan, “Moving Frames. Moving Hearts. Moving the World.”, along with the event date and venue of the inaugural ceremony.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261106728956/en/
The Nippon Anime Awards celebrates the people behind the works who are making an impact on the world and is an award that helps shape the future of anime. The inaugural ceremony will take place on Sunday, November 21, 2027, at SGC HALL ARIAKE in Ariake, Tokyo. In collaboration with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the event will also feature initiatives to create new business opportunities in the anime industry and develop the next generation of talent. Through these efforts, the AJA aims to further promote anime culture and open up new opportunities for future generations.
The announcement was made during the Main Event, which featured a two-part program. Part 1 featured a discussion on “The Appeal of Japanese Anime, Loved Around the World,” with Toshiyuki Itakura of the comedy duo Impulse, Shoko Nakagawa, and Sally Amaki of 22/7. Part 2 featured live performances by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Mai Kuraki, Nami Nakagawa, and Ai Higuchi, bringing memorable scenes from the anime series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Attack on Titan, and Detective Conan to life.
About the Nippon Anime Awards, Launching in 2027
The name “Nippon Anime Awards” reflects our commitment to honoring the history and culture of Japanese anime while carrying its enduring appeal into the future. The awards will recognize outstanding anime works and celebrate the achievements of those involved in the industry, sharing the appeal of Japanese anime with audiences in Japan and around the world. The aim is to establish the Nippon Anime Awards as a leading anime awards program representing Japan that will be loved and celebrated for years to come.
Award Name
English Name: Nippon Anime Awards
Event Details
Event Name: Nippon Anime Awards
Date: Sunday, November 21, 2027
Venue: SGC HALL ARIAKE (Ariake, Tokyo)
Organizer: The Association of Japanese Animations (AJA)
TOKYO ANIME NEXT Event Details
TOKYO ANIME NEXT Event Details
Event Name: TOKYO ANIME NEXT
Date: Friday, October 30, 2026–Monday, November 2, 2026 (4 days)
Venues: Tokyo Tatemono Brillia HALL, Toshima Civic Center, WACCA Ikebukuro 1F Event Space, Otomate Square 6F Otomate Building, Ikebukuro HUMAX Cinemas, TOHO Cinemas Ikebukuro, Grand Cinema Sunshine Ikebukuro, TIFFCOM 2026[RS1.1]
Organizer: The Association of Japanese Animations (AJA)
Co-organizer: Tokyo Metropolitan Government
Special Sponsor: Toshima City
Event Management Office: TOKYO ANIME NEXT Secretariat (Sony Music Solutions Inc.)
Official website: https://tokyoanimenext.jp/en/
Official X:https://x.com/TOKYOANIMENEXT
Official Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/tokyoanimenext/
The Nippon Anime Awards to Launch in 2027
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — In a park on the outskirts of Colombia’s capital, Santiago Abril set up a mat made with interlocking rubber panels and assembled an octagonal structure resembling a mixed martial arts cage.
The portable ring, made of rubber and plastic, serves as the stage for the improvised boxing matches that Abril has organized for months at parks in Bogota, mostly without official permits.
Dozens of young men and women gather on weekends for Abril’s pop-up fights, where strangers face off without the lengthy preparations required for regular boxing matches. Some want to test their boxing skills. Others are looking for a new thrill.
Women pay around $5 to compete, while men pay $15. Organizers provide boxing gloves but no headgear. Cash prizes of around $100 are given to those who can win two or three fights in a row in hastily organized tournaments.
For Ingrid Prieto, a 29-year-old who recently participated in a fight, boxing is a form of therapy.
“When I was young, I used to get in a lot of fights, so I began to practice taekwondo,” she said, adding that contact sports have helped her to channel her emotions.
Eliber Parra García, 27, repairs mobile phones for a living. He said he joined the pop-up fights to experience what it feels like to be a professional boxer, and also for the adrenaline that comes with fighting and the chance to make some money. “I have an orange belt in judo,” Parra García said. “But I know very little about boxing.”
Bogota’s municipal government told the Associated Press that the fights require permits and a plan for dealing with emergencies that must be submitted to authorities.
Police have asked Abril to dismantle his octagon in several parks around the city, after failing to present a permit.
Abril said participants are asked to sign a consent form stating they are in good health before fighting. He also said obtaining a permit to organize boxing matches is difficult because the sport is “monopolized” by promoters.
Abril’s fights are limited to two rounds lasting 90 seconds each. Participants are sorted into weight categories and given gloves that are heavier than those used by professionals.
“The gloves are so heavy that the boxers get tired faster, and that means they will not throw such hard punches,” said Abril, who has a degree in physical education. He said that sometimes there are bloody noses or burst lips in his fights, but that “no one has had their cheekbones broken.”
Despite the lack of permits, and being chased from parks by police, Abril says interest in his street fights is growing. He promotes them on social media under the nickname King Abril and runs a YouTube account with 131,000 subscribers.
“We started doing this on streets, on the pavement,” Abril said. “Now we have a cage, gloves and a mat.”
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
Amateur boxers compete in a street fight flash tournament in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Amateur boxers Diego Salinas, left, and Kevin Grande compete in the street fight flash tournament in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Amateur boxers compete in a street fight flash boxing tournament in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Amateur boxer Kimberly Martinez, right, exchanges punches with Leidy Castiblanco during a street fight flash tournament in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Amateur boxers Alejandro Seron, front, and Sebastian Gomez compete in a street fight flash boxing tournament in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
