Directors Guild of Japan (DGJ)

Overview

The Directors Guild of Japan (Nihon Eiga Kantoku Kyokai, DGJ) is the only cooperative organization for people who make a living as film directors in Japan. Founded on March 1, 1936, at Tokyo Kaikan in Marunouchi, the Guild was established by feature film directors seeking independence from the five-company agreement that controlled the Japanese film industry at the time. The founding prospectus declared the organization's purpose: to enrich Japanese film art, improve the character and social status of filmmakers, and contribute to Japanese culture through industrial development.

The Guild was reorganized as a business cooperative (kyodo kumiai) under the Small and Medium Enterprise Cooperative Associations Act in 1950. This legal structure distinguishes it from most other directors' guilds globally: it operates as a cooperative corporation rather than a labor union or professional association. The current president is Yichi Sai, who has held the position since 2004.

History and Leadership

The DGJ has operated continuously since 1936, with one interruption. In 1943, during World War II, the Japanese government disbanded the organization as part of wartime state control of the film industry. The Guild was reconstructed in 1949 at a general meeting in Yurakucho, Tokyo, with 64 members and Kenji Mizoguchi as chairman.

Past presidents include some of the most significant figures in Japanese cinema history:

The Guild produced the film Eiga Kantoku tte Nan Da ("What Is a Film Director?") on the occasion of its 70th anniversary in 2006, promoting the view that the director possesses the copyright of a film. This position on directorial authorship is central to the Guild's advocacy and is reflected in its collective bargaining agreements.

Membership: Requirements, Fees, and Benefits

Eligibility

Membership is open to directors of all kinds of video works, not limited to theatrical films. This includes directors of:

• Theatrical feature films
• TV dramas
• Documentaries
• Animation
• Video productions (VP)
• PR films
• Commercials
• Web content

Applicants must be "persons who work as film directors" (kantoku o gyo to suru mono). Membership requires recommendation from an existing Guild member and approval by the Board of Directors (rijikai) after review.

Fees

The 8% administrative fee is deducted from the "additional fee for secondary use of films" (secondary-use royalties) that the Guild has secured through collective bargaining with producer organizations. These royalties are paid through the Guild to individual directors. The administrative fee covers the Guild's operating expenses.

Benefits

Guild members receive:

• Secondary-use royalty payments: The Guild's collective bargaining agreements with Eiren (Japan Film Producers Federation) and ATP (Association of Television Producers) secure additional compensation for directors when their films are broadcast on television, distributed on home video, or streamed. These royalties are collected and distributed through the Guild.
• Health insurance access: Members can enroll in the Tokyo Celebrity National Health Insurance, Literary Arts National Health Insurance, or Kyoto Artists National Health Insurance, all of which offer lower premiums than public National Health Insurance.
• Retirement savings: Members can enroll in the Small Enterprise Mutual Aid System (kojokyo), a personal retirement savings plan with fully tax-deductible contributions.
• Japan Academy Award Association recommendation: The Guild can recommend members for membership in the Japan Academy Award Association, where the screening process has become stricter and freelancers face difficulty joining without institutional recommendation.
• Copyright protection: The Guild advocates for directors' copyright and moral rights, including the position that the director is the primary author of a film.

Collective Bargaining Agreements

The DGJ maintains collective bargaining agreements with two major producer organizations:

Japan Film Producers Federation (Eiren)

The Guild established its first minimum director's fee agreement with five Eiren companies in 1963. A basic agreement regarding director contracts was established with each Eiren company in 1971. Additional memoranda on television broadcasting of theatrical films were signed in 1975 and updated in 2000.

Association of Television Producers (ATP)

The Guild maintains a collective agreement with ATP covering television production directors.

These collective agreements are the mechanism through which the Guild secures secondary-use royalties, minimum fees, and working conditions for directors. The royalties distributed through these agreements represent a significant income stream for working Japanese directors, particularly as theatrical films move to television broadcast and streaming platforms.

Copyright and Creative Rights Advocacy

The DGJ's most distinctive advocacy position is its assertion that the director holds copyright in the film. This position diverges from the typical Japanese industry practice where the production company holds copyright as the employer under work-for-hire provisions. The Guild has pursued this position through:

• Protests against the Copyright Bill (1969-1970), including a petition to the Speaker of the House of Representatives requesting deletion of Article 29 (attribution of copyright to film works)
• The Seijun Suzuki issue (1968), where the Guild supported Suzuki's civil litigation against Nikkatsu for unilateral contract cancellation
• Protests against efforts to prevent screenings of films including Yasukuni (2007) and The Cove (2009)
• Production of educational materials and films promoting the director-as-author position

Japanese Film Industry Context

Japan's film industry is one of the largest in the world by box office revenue, with annual theatrical gross typically exceeding 250 billion JPY (approximately $1.7 billion USD). The industry is divided between live-action and animation, with animation representing a substantial portion of both domestic box office and international export revenue.

Japanese directors work across a range of employment structures. Most are self-employed freelancers, though some are under contract with production companies or studios. The Guild's cooperative structure accommodates this diversity: members work in a flat relationship regardless of their contractual status, beliefs, or affiliations.

The Japanese film industry does not have the same union jurisdiction structure as the United States. There is no equivalent to the DGA's exclusive jurisdiction over directing on signatory productions. The DGJ provides professional support, royalty collection, and advocacy rather than enforcing mandatory union membership or minimum rates on productions.

What Filmmakers Should Know

For International Co-Productions with Japan

The DGJ's collective bargaining agreements cover domestic Japanese productions through Eiren and ATP. International co-productions may not fall under these agreements unless they involve a Japanese production company that is a member of Eiren or ATP. International producers should understand that Japanese directors working on international co-productions retain their Guild membership and the associated royalty rights for Japanese secondary use.

The Guild's position on directorial copyright differs from standard Japanese industry practice. International producers should clarify copyright attribution in co-production contracts, as the Guild's advocacy position may influence Japanese directors' expectations regarding authorship and moral rights.

For Japanese Directors

Guild membership at 3,500 JPY/month provides access to secondary-use royalties that can represent a significant income stream over a film's lifecycle. The health insurance and retirement savings options are particularly valuable for freelance directors who lack corporate benefits. The recommendation requirement for membership means that building relationships with existing Guild members is essential for directors seeking to join.

The Guild's Newcomer Award (established 1960, first awarded to Nagisa Oshima for A Cruel Story of Youth) provides recognition for emerging directors. The annual NG Festival, established in 1959, is a Guild tradition celebrating outtakes and production mishaps.

See Also

For the Japan Academy Prize that Guild members may be recommended to join, see Japan Academy Prize in this directory. For the Asian film awards context, see Asian Film Awards in this directory. For the official Guild website (English), visit dgj.or.jp/en. For the Guild's history page, visit dgj.or.jp/en/history. Use the Indie Film Budget Calculator to estimate how Japanese co-production costs and secondary-use royalty obligations affect your production budget.