Sales in Japan’s animation production industry soared 22.9 percent to a record 339 billion yen ($2.4 billion) in 2023 and are expected to remain near that level this year, a recent survey by a credit research firm showed. The combined revenue at 317 animation companies producing content for television, film and streaming platforms surpassed the previous record of 287.3 billion yen in 2019, driven by hit films such as Makoto Shinkai’s “Suzume” and a pickup in demand for streaming services, according to Teikoku Databank. Box office sales for Suzume, released in November 2022, exceeded 14 billion…