Anime Japan 2020 Officially Canceled Due to Coronavirus Outbreak

A new announcement has confirmed Anime Japan 2020 has been cancelled this year due to the ongoing Coronavirus crisis. The announcement went live from Japan a few hours ago with the event’s planning committee offering profuse apologies. But as Japan’s infection rate continues to rise, the public will be putting their health far ahead of their otaku needs.

Over on Twitter, Anime Japan did release a short message explaining the need for cancellation this year. Earlier in the month, the organization did warn attendees the event might be cancelled depending on how the Coronavirus continued to spread across the country and Asia as a whole.

“In the face of the recent novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and the call from the Japanese government to cancel large-scale events made on February 26, but most of all thinking about the health and safety of our visitors and everyone involved in thee event, we have decided to cancel AnimeJapan 2020 and Family Anime Festa 2020,” the message reads.

Continuing, the event staff shared apologies for the cancellation and thanked everyone for understanding the difficult decision.

“We are extremely sorry towards all the anime fans looking forward to this year’s edition and all involved parties who were preparing for the event, however the conclusion has been made to prevent the further spread of the infection. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in this matter.”

As for what will happen next, fans anticipated the companies slated to appear at Anime Japan to share any announcements they had planned. It was said series like Bleach were going to appear at the event along with Attack on Titan and more. Clearly, those titles can make their reveals using social media which will allow tons of anime fans rejoice from the safety of their own homes.

Are you surprised by this big cancellation? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!