Fujisankei to Produce Its Own Films in U.S. : * Entertainment: The media firm will make up to six movies a year here under Japanese creative control.

Rejecting the more passive style of most other Japanese investors in Hollywood, media conglomerate Fujisankei Communications Group on Thursday announced the formation of an independent production company that will wield full creative control over its films.

Fujisankei California Entertainment, which has a $50-million start-up budget, will release up to six modestly budgeted pictures a year. The company said it expects to expand its output slowly, working through a variety of major studios and independent distributors.

The unit’s president is Masaru Kakutani, who produced three of Japan’s top-grossing films. He was also behind the surprise U.S. family hit “The Adventures of Milo and Otis.”

His contacts within the close-knit Hollywood community are limited--one friend said he is not a “Spago type.” He still uses an interpreter after living in Los Angeles for four years. But Kakutani said he is confident of his ability to make movies with broad appeal.

Most other Japanese investors in Hollywood have left creative matters to their American partners. But Kakutani said: “We are creative producers. We don’t need creative input from others.”

The foray into Hollywood is the second for Fujisankei, the world’s fourth-largest media company. It is also an equity partner in producer David Putnam’s Enigma Productions.

Fujisankei has massive holdings in Japan, but is probably best known in the United States as the company that paid former President Ronald Reagan $2 million for a controversial visit to Japan. In Japanese circles, the company also has a reputation for conservative, nationalistic politics.

Japanese investment in Hollywood is, of course, extensive. Sony Corp. purchased Columbia Pictures Entertainment in 1989 for $3.41 billion; Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. bought MCA Inc. earlier this year for $6.59 billion. Analysts say interest among Japanese companies remains strong, despite Japan’s economic problems and Hollywood’s box-office slide.

JVC last week announced that it was increasing its investment in Largo Entertainment in a deal some value at more than $100 million. And Toshiba is rumored to be close to making a $1-billion investment in Time Warner Inc. in conjunction with the trading company C. Itoh.

Kakutani has served as executive vice president and general manager of Fujisankei’s overseas operating division in Los Angeles since 1987. His production credits, in addition to “Milo and Otis,” include “Antarctica,” the No. 1 film in Japan in 1983; “The Burmese Harp,” and “Princess From the Moon.”

Fujisankei’s production company will set up shop in Century City. Kakutani said he expects to employ two Americans and three Japanese, with another three people in Tokyo.

In choosing projects, Kakutani said he will work with Hollywood talent, but rely on his own instincts of what “moves the heart.”

One source close to the company said it’s likely that Kakutani will team up with Juzo Itami, one of Japan’s best known directors, on at least one project.

Fujisankei Holdings

Fujisankei Communications Group is the world’s fourth-largest media company, with annual revenue of more than $5 billion. The Tokyo-based conglomerate has investments in everything from publishing and television to museums and real estate. Its holdings include:

* Television: The Fuji Television Network. Reaching 98% of all Japanese households, it has captured the highest viewer ratings in that country since 1982.

* Newspapers: Its Sankei Shimbun is one of Japan’s leading national daily newspapers. Sankei Shimbun and its affiliates have a combined circulation of 12 million.

* Broadcasting: Nippon Broadcasting System is the world’s most popular radio network.

* Publishing: Fusosha, its publishing arm, puts out Japan’s most popular women’s magazine and is also active in book publishing.