Kodansha Sets Up Manga Publishing Joint Venture in India
Kodansha's move into India, a fast-growing market with high piracy and regulatory hurdles, signals a strategic shift by a major Japanese publisher to directly serve local demand rather than relying on imports.
Key Facts
- Kodansha will begin localizing and publishing manga in India this autumn through a joint venture with Dai Nippon Printing.
- The venture aims to release 200 titles per year in English and Hindi, printed locally to reduce costs.
- Kodansha is the first Japanese publisher to directly enter the Indian market.
- Consulting firm IJ Kakehashi holds a 5 percent stake in the venture, and DNP holds a 14 percent stake.
Reporting from 1 source: Animenomics.
Kodansha will begin localizing and publishing manga in India this autumn through a joint venture with Dai Nippon Printing, becoming the first Japanese publisher to directly enter the Indian market. The venture aims to release 200 titles per year in English and Hindi, printed locally to reduce costs and compete with pirated editions.
Kodansha will begin localizing and publishing manga in India this autumn through a new joint venture with printing giant Dai Nippon Printing, becoming the first Japanese publisher to directly enter the Indian market. The venture aims to release 200 titles per year in English and Hindi, printed locally to reduce costs and compete with pirated editions that sell at a fraction of the price of imported books. Consulting firm IJ Kakehashi, which helped Kodansha negotiate a children's book deal with India's National Book Trust in 2017, holds a 5 percent stake in the venture. DNP, which has been expanding in India this year, took a 14 percent stake.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Animenomics Kodansha sets up manga publishing in India