Japan’s Legendary Studio Ghibli, Co-Founded by Hayao Miyazaki, Sells Stake to Nippon TV

Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki’s famed Japanese animation studio, will become a subsidiary of Nippon Television Network Corp., both parties said Thursday.

Concerns about succession were a priority at Ghibli as Miyazaki turned 82 and producer Toshio Suzuki turned 75, the companies said in a joint statement.

The boards of both companies agreed during meetings on Thursday that the major commercial broadcast network will become Studio Ghibli’s largest shareholder, with a 42.3 percent stake. Financial details were not provided.

Nippon TV said it will send executives to support Ghibli’s management while respecting its creative independence so it can focus on animation and other artistic projects.

The deal was first discussed last year at an “onsen” hot spring, the companies said, when Suzuki asked Nippon TV director Yoshikuni Sugiyama for help in managing Ghibli. Sugiyama promised to provide support.

Miyazaki’s son Goro is also an animation director and is mentioned as a possible successor. But he had expressed doubts, saying the responsibility was too great.

Ghibli and Nippon TV have since worked together in the past Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind aired on TV in 1985. Nippon TV has also helped produce several Ghibli works, starting with Miyazaki’s 1989 film Kiki’s delivery service. It also helped establish the museum dedicated to Ghibli works in Tokyo.

Earlier this year, Miyazaki ended The boy and the heron, completed after seven years. It is based on a book, but also loosely based on Miyazaki’s childhood during wartime. The Japanese title, which better expresses the theme, translates to: “How will you live?”

Miyazaki won an Oscar for his 2001 film Ghostly away. He has occasionally declared retirement, but has always returned to his profession.

He has produced an extensive range of animated works for both adults and children to enjoy My neighbor Totoro And Pony.