Festival Merah! Merah! Anime Japan!! 2026 to be Held in Jakarta

Jakarta is set to host the "Merah! Merah! Anime Japan!! (MMAJ) 2026" festival, a vibrant celebration of Japanese pop culture. The event officially kicked off on Saturday, May 30, 2026, at Gandaria City in South Jakarta, and will run through Sunday, May 31. This festival serves as a platform for cultural exchange and aims to deepen the relationship between Indonesia and Japan through their shared passion for the creative industry.

The organizers hope the festival will showcase the significant potential of pop culture elements such as anime, music, cosplay, and fashion. By engaging with these entertainment forms, they anticipate fostering stronger emotional connections and economic cooperation between the two nations. Unlike typical pop culture events, MMAJ 2026 adopts a hybrid model, designed to cater to both the business needs of industry professionals and the entertainment desires of the anime fan community.

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Merah! Merah! Anime Japan!! is an event for fans, and also a B2B event for everyone involved in the industry or entertainment business. We are combining both because we want to create a new movement

Takayuki Yamanaka, Co-Founder of MMAJ, emphasized the festival's core principle of inclusivity for everyone involved in the Japanese entertainment ecosystem. He stated that the event is designed not only to offer a visual feast for attendees but also to create market penetration opportunities for both local and international creators. "Merah! Merah! Anime Japan!! is an event for fans, and also a B2B event for everyone involved in the industry or entertainment business. We are combining both because we want to create a new movement," Yamanaka explained during the press conference.

This inclusive concept has seen prior success in India two years ago. The organizers chose Jakarta as their next expansion destination due to the massive enthusiasm observed in the Southeast Asian market, particularly in Indonesia. The active and loyal fanbase for Japanese culture in Indonesia was a key factor in selecting the capital city. Yamanaka noted that the dynamic interactions witnessed at the festival, with media executives, industry representatives, talents, and cosplayers mingling in the same space, exemplify the event's vision. He expressed appreciation for the warm welcome and incredible energy shown by the people of Jakarta since the festival's opening day.

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The scene I see before me now actually tells everything. All the people