At last December's press conference heralding this year's Tokyo International Arts Festival, Artistic Director Sachio Ichimura was in a less than festive mood.

"We are facing a major turning point," he declared.

"Because of recent changes in Cultural Affairs Agency regulations, from now on we will only receive a government subsidy for this annual event once every three years. Financially, it is now becoming too difficult to continue on this scale, even though TIF has become an important annual event in the Japanese drama world," said Ichimura, casting into doubt the very future of the festival.