In recent years, the Japanese TV industry has seen a wave of revivals of Showa-era anime.
Meanwhile, the news frequently reports that major corporations are introducing early retirement programs targeting employees aged 40 and above.
Observing these two trends, I began to notice a striking contradiction:
the very demographic that TV relies on the most—people over 40—is having its purchasing power diminished due to corporate early retirement programs.
Starting from this sense of discomfort, this article explores how two seemingly unrelated phenomena—the “revival of Showa anime” and the “targeting of older employees for early retirement”—are actually connected through a structural contradiction.
1. Why Showa-Era Anime Is Making a Comeback Now That Young People Have Abandoned TV
In recent years, revivals of Showa-era anime have appeared one after another in the TV industry.
- Remakes of classic anime
- Reruns of old dramas
- Nostalgic variety shows, health programs, and travel shows
All of this stems from one fact: the core TV audience has shifted to people aged 40 and above.
Younger generations have already moved to smartphones, YouTube, and subscription platforms, no longer treating terrestrial TV as part of their everyday life.
As a result, TV stations have no choice but to cater to the remaining viewers—those aged 40 and above.
For the TV industry, people in their 40s to 60s are the “last stronghold,” and the revival of Showa anime symbolizes that dependence.
2. Meanwhile, Major Corporations Are Targeting the 40+ Demographic for Workforce Reduction
While TV depends heavily on viewers over 40, companies—especially large ones—are treating this group very differently.
- High personnel costs
- Perceived difficulty in adapting to DX
- Desire to rejuvenate the organization
- Decline of lifetime employment
For these reasons, many major corporations have begun making employees in their 40s and 50s primary targets for restructuring and early retirement programs.
In other words:
TV cannot survive without the 40+ demographic,
yet companies are steadily cutting their income.
Seen from a market-wide perspective, this is a major contradiction.
3. The Purchasing Power of TV’s Core Audience Continues to Decline
TV produces content for people over 40, while companies simultaneously cut the salaries of that same group.
With no significant government intervention, this cycle has led to the following sequence:
- Disposable income among people 40+ decreases
- The effectiveness of TV commercials declines
- Advertisers shift away from TV
- TV station revenue falls
- Only safe, low-risk programming can be produced
- Content becomes dominated by nostalgic shows and Showa-era anime revivals
- Young people drift even further away
- Purchasing power among those 40+ declines even more
In this way, a self-perpetuating “decline spiral” has formed—
a structural problem that individual effort alone can no longer stop.
4. Why TV Still Targets the 40+ Demographic Despite Their Declining Purchasing Power
At first glance, targeting a group with decreasing purchasing power seems like a disadvantage from an advertising standpoint.
However, this is not due to poor analysis by TV stations—it is actually a realistic, low-risk strategy.
1. Younger Generations No Longer Watch TV
With the spread of smartphones and online video platforms, people in their 20s and 30s have moved away from television.
As a result, the demographic that can most reliably deliver ratings is those aged 40 and above.
For TV stations, viewer stability matters more than purchasing power.
2. Advertisers Also See Value in Older Viewers
Advertisers are not only aiming at people who will “buy right now.”
- Building brand awareness
- Stimulating future purchasing intent
- Promoting middle-aged and senior-oriented products such as health supplements, insurance, and real estate
These goals make stable exposure to the 40+ demographic meaningful.
3. Lower Production Risk
Young-audience programming often requires high-cost elements such as advanced graphics and trend-based planning.
By contrast, news, lifestyle shows, and variety programs aimed at older viewers can be produced with lower cost and lower risk.
Considering the audience, advertisers, and production costs together, targeting viewers aged 40 and above is actually a rational choice.
5. Conclusion: A Conservative Yet Rational Strategy
TV stations continuing to focus on the 40+ demographic is not a mistaken judgment.
- Young people do not watch TV
- Advertisers still find value in middle-aged and older audiences
- Production risk can be minimized
Given this environment, aligning with a demographic whose purchasing power is declining has become a “cautious yet rational strategy” in today’s TV market.
The increasing number of Showa anime revivals and nostalgic programs is not simply a matter of nostalgia—
it may be an inevitable move for the TV industry’s survival.
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