Japan trains several thousand manga artists a year in vocational schools. Almost none of them are visible to a publisher outside Japan.

G-MAP exists to close that gap. Participating schools submit their graduating artists to a single index; the secretariat verifies each entry and keeps it current. Overseas publishers, editors and agents apply once for access and can then contact artists — or their schools — through the secretariat.

The programme is operated by a secretariat drawn from the participating schools and the manga industry.

G-MAP is a programme run by ASO Pop Culture College with support from the Japan Creator Support Fund, established at the Japan Arts Council under a subsidy from the Agency for Cultural Affairs.