Japan TV network will acquire Totoro creator Studio Ghibli as animation studio prepares for future

By YURI KAGEYAMA
AP Business Writer

TOKYO (AP) — Studio Ghibli, the famed Japanese animation studio of Hayao Miyazaki, will become a subsidiary of Nippon Television Network Corp. The companies said Thursday the move was approved by both boards. Succession worries had been a priority at Ghibli, as Miyazaki has turned 82, and producer Toshio Suzuki is 75. The major commercial broadcast network will become the top shareholder of Studio Ghibli, owning a 42.3% stake. Tokyo-based Nippon TV said it will send executives to support Ghibli’s management, while honoring its creative independence so it can focus on its animation. Miyazaki won an Oscar for his 2001 “Spirited Away.” He has occasionally declared he was retiring but has always returned to his craft.