TOKYO/NEW YORK/SAPPORO -- Japanese companies that own rights to "anime" cartoon characters are working to popularize the franchises overseas by lowering or even waiving royalties.
Take Doraemon, an animated series that has been a favorite of Japanese children for decades, but remains all but unknown in North America. This month the franchise's titular star, a blue robotic cat, got a major boost in the U.S., where the show began airing nationwide.
