Mizuho Fund to Invest in Japan’s Popular But Cash-Needing Anime

Japan’s low-budget animation films are becoming popular worldwide. Mizuho Securities Co. hopes to cash in on that by boosting financing for the sector.

The Tokyo-based brokerage is starting an investment fund for films by the end of this year. It will initially have around ¥1.5 billion ($9.5 million) to ¥2.5 billion to deploy in financing, and plans to invest about ¥800 million per movie.

For investors, the fund will offer an opportunity to park their money in a movie sector that’s created globally popular works such as Demon Slayer and Studio Ghibli films like Spirited Away. That would mark a ...