I think one reason that Japanese fiction is beginning to see pickups in western audiences is because Japanese companies are improving their skills at exporting culture to the west. One aspect of this is translation, where they spent decades building a workforce that is capable of quality translations. Another aspect is that of this is that Western culture is beginning to inspire Japanese creators. This allows Japan to create cultural artifacts that more resonate with Western audiences and inspire them. This is a virtuous cycle, which is good for business, international relations, and human creativity.

> Another aspect is that of this is that Western culture is beginning to inspire Japanese creators.

I just want to mention that "beginning to" is selling it short a bit

Japan has been influenced heavily by Western culture for a very long time

Dungeons and Dragons was huge in Japan for a while and inspired things like Record of Lodoss War. Famous composer for Final Fantasy Nobuo Uematsu has talked about one of his biggest inspirations being Elton John. Many episodes of Cowboy Bebop are titled after popular American classic blues-rock songs, and the whole show is very "American". After all, Cowboys and Blues Rock are very American

This may be becoming more prevalent as time goes on but it's been a shift that is happening for a long while