Between the tens of millions of tourists visiting and the soft power success of films and drama series set in Japan, the country has never attracted so much attention. The impact on sales and other deals at the Tiffcom market of Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF), however, has been mixed.

“Interest in Japanese content has spread from just core fans to a wider audience. Anime still has the strongest appeal, but live-action productions are also gaining traction,” said Satoru Kamiyama, an executive in the international business department of film giant Shochiku, on the final day of Tiffcom. “We’ve had a lot more meetings and discussions about deals than last year.”

Japanese companies rarely sign contracts to announce or deals at festivals, due to protracted internal decision-making and the need to consult with the production committees that are behind most commercial projects. Usually comprised of at least a dozen companies,...