On 8th of November at the IFRRO World Congress in Tokyo the IAF hosted a drinks reception with its members and special guest speaker Mr Tetsuya Chiba, Manga creator and President of Japan Cartoonists Association.
After an introduction by video from IAF Steering Committee Chair John Degen, the gathering heard an update on the recent work of the IAF with regards to International Public Lending Right and the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights at WIPO. Members also heard about progress towards two new versions of the 10 Principles of Fair Contracts which will for now be aimed specifically at visual artists and textbook writers. The new website for the IAF was also launched.
The gathering also heard from Mr Tetsuya Chiba. He discussed his experience as a manga artist, from his early beginnings to the sports stories that earned him renown, and combined this with his experience as the President of the Japan Cartoonists Association to consider the challenges facing the authors community in Japan.