My brother sent me this Fortune article about the growing popularity of anime in the United States and what it might mean for the American and Japanese economies.
From Pokemon to Full Metal Panic, the anime industry is doing everything the rest of show biz isn't: embracing technology, coddling fans—and making a killing. ...None of this means that Western culture is going all-anime. Ledford acknowledges that interest seems to bubble up, then fall back a bit before growing again. Certainly the aging of the Pokemon generation—the first to have widespread exposure to anime at a young age—should help.
Some in the world are in a panic over American "cultural hegemonization", but this article illustrates that Americans are rabid consumers of culture as well as producers. As my brother pointed out, little could be better for Japan's economy that greater openness and connection to America.
A small note. There's nothing stopping US artists from using the anime style and producing anime. In fact, I believe that there are some US producers of it.