logo

About Us

Learn more about the SPJA and what we do

The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA) is a organization that works to promote the arts that are related to Japanese Animation and the culture that surrounds it. In order to do so, the SPJA has various ongoing projects that work to achieve this goal. Fueled by the dedication and support of a large workforce of volunteers and dedicated individuals, the SPJA owns properties such as Anime Expo, the largest anime convention in North America.

The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation is a 501(c)(6) registered non-profit mutual benefit trade organization.


The History

The SPJA is the parent organization for Anime Expo (AX), which started in 1992 in San Jose, California. A direct descendant of AnimeCon in 1991, SPJA and AX were formed by members of Cal-Animage Alpha, the anime club of the University of California at Berkeley. AX moved to the Los Angeles area in 1994. Since then, the SPJA has held AX in Anaheim, Long Beach, and most recently downtown Los Angeles. SPJA has also hosted Anime Expo New York, which took place in 2002, and partnered to host Anime Expo Tokyo in 2004.

In July 2012, the SPJA adopted Anime Conji, the anime convention of San Diego. Anime Conji 2013 will be the first one hosted by the SPJA.



Our Core Values

We believe that our organization should be founded on basic principles that guide our contribution to society. We, the SPJA, believe in:
  • Having Fun - Being an organization that strives to ensure that everyone has fun.
  • Transparency - Having honest and open communication.
  • Integrity - Doing what is right, even when you know no one is watching.
  • Creativity - Knowing Imagination, Innovation, and Ingenuity are the lifeblood of our community.
  • Ownership - Everyone in our organization makes a positive contribution to our success. We must be accountable and responsible for our actions. Further, our fans, our peers, and the industry also have a vital interest in the success of our organization.

Our Vision

We strive to be an organization that enriches lives by becoming an integral part of the relationship between Japanese and American popular culture by servicing our fans, our peers, and the industry through the fostering of innovation and talent in order to create and steer a generation where Japanese culture has become accepted and integrated into American life.

Our Mission

The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA) is a non-profit organization with a mission to popularize and educate the American public about anime and manga, as well as provide a forum to facilitate communication between professionals and fans.

Our primary objectives and purposes are:
  1. The promotion of Anime and Manga as well as arts that influence or are influenced by them.
  2. To provide common forum for enthusiasts interact.
  3. To foster the trade, commerce, and interests of all members of the industry and fandom.
  4. To collect and disseminate information of value related anime and Manga industry to the public.
  5. To perform such other activities that may be necessary or incidental to the above purposes.


Leadership


    • Marc Houston Perez, Chief Executive Officer
    • Hank Wong, Chairman
    • John Roadarmel, Vice Chairman and Treasurer
    • Cecilia Amo, Secretary
    • Sean Thordsen
    • Mark Manansala
    • Emiko Kiyochi
    • Yohanes Fadillah

© 1992-2013 Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA). All rights reserved.