This annual conference, which was being held for the fourth time this year, had as its theme and title this year: ‘Similarities and Differences Perceived from the Viewpoint of Individual Asian Nations’ Successful Dramas.’  The themes of the dramas that did very well in nine Asian nations and current trends were analyzed, which enabled the participants to identify the success factors of the dramas in individual nations and to understand the cultural differences and similarities between nations.  Consensus built during the conference is likely to exert a significant effect on the work of writers.
In particular, regions eligible for participation expanded from East Asia to the entire Asian region this year and foundations were laid to enable actual cultural interchange and exchanges among the diverse cultures of different Asian nations.  Moreover, the interaction is not limited to the interchange among the writers.  For example, a meeting between producers and TV staff members was hosted separately to provide a forum for the development of drama contents that all Asians can agree on.  Furthermore, the conference was very meaningful in the sense that it provided a forum for having practical discussions needed for the joint development of contents among the key Asian nations so that they can compete in the global market against Hollywood and other markets by going beyond just the simple form of interaction that entails selling their nations’ dramas to other nations.