Amazon Japan Announces 12 Original Productions To Fuel International Expansion

Amazon is poised to unveil a slate of 20 original shows produced in Japan as it aims to bolster Prime subscriptions there. The company announced 12 new shows today, Bloomberg reports, including Ultraman Orb, about a popular popular Japanese superhero, the documentary Invisible Tokyo, and Work in Space, a comedy about businessmen battling aliens.

Other forthcoming series include Magi, about four people who travel to the Vatican and return to Japan to discover that Christianity had been banned, and an animated version of the manga series Baby Steps, according to Deadline.

“We are going to keep strengthening the original content that you can only see on Amazon Prime,” Amazon Japan president Jasper Cheung said at a press conference. Some of the shows are already available, while others will roll out in coming months.

Prime entered Japan last September, which is also when Netflix launched in the country, according to Bloomberg. While Japan’s SVOD market is significant tinier than that of the United States — about one-tenth of the size — Bloomberg notes that it is a key driver for Amazon’s overall international sales, which comprised a third of the company’s revenues in 2015.

Japan’s 20 shows represent half of the 40 total international series that the company currently has slated, according to Deadline. Amazon’s first UK drama series, The Collection, tells the story of a Paris fashion house in the wake of World War II.