Warner Entertainment Japan Inc., a subsidiary of U.S. media giant Time Warner Inc., plans to acquire more Japanese films and increase local production of movies in response to the growing popularity of domestic films, said William Ireton, who was named president of the company in May.

Ireton, 50, said Japanese movies have boosted their share of the domestic box office take from 27 percent in 2002 to 41 percent last year thanks to films based on TV dramas, including the "Umizaru" ("Sea Monkey") series.

"One of the initiatives I will be proposing as president is to increase the number of Japanese productions and acquisitions," Ireton said in an interview with The Japan Times.