Japan's Miyazaki to retire after 11 feature films

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Venice, Italy • Oscar-winning director Hayao Miyazaki's animation studio says ''The Wind Rises," in competition at the Venice Film Festival, will be his last film.

Koju Hoshino announced Miyazaki's intention to retire Sunday, but declined to take questions, deferring to a news conference next week in Tokyo. ''He wants to say goodbye to all of you, '' the Studio Ghibli president said.

Miyazaki was not in Venice for the international premiere. His Italian distributor said he stayed in Japan for the domestic release.

Miyazaki, 72, is one of animation's most-admired and successful directors. He won an Oscar for ''Spirited Away" in 2003, and a Golden Lion for lifetime achievement in 2005.

''The Wind Rises," Miyazaki's 11th feature film, is a fantasy-filled look at the man who designed Japan's World War II fighter planes.