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Kadokawa to Merge 9 Subsidiaries Into 1 Company

Kadokawa Group Holdings, the parent company of several major manga and light novel publishers, announced on Thursday that it will absorb and consolidate nine of its subsidiaries on October 1. The merging subsidiaries are Kadokawa Shoten, ASCII Media Works, Kadokawa Magazines, Media Factory, Enterbrain, Chukei Publishing, Fujimi Shobo, Kadokawa Gakugei Shuppan, and Kadokawa Production. These subsidiaries will be combined into one company, simply named "Kadokawa."

Kadokawa Shoten publishes many manga series and magazines, including Monthly Newtype, Monthly Shōnen Ace, Young Ace, Monthly Asuka, Newtype Ace, Asuka Ciel, Monthly Comptiq, Monthly Comp Ace and Kerokero Ace. Its light novel imprints include Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko and Kadokawa Beans Bunko.

ASCII Media Works prints many publications in the Dengeki family, including Dengeki PlayStation, Dengeki G's Magazine, Monthly Comic Dengeki Daioh, and Dengeki Hobby Magazine. Its novel imprints include Dengeki Bunko and Media Works Bunko.

Media Factory publishes Comic Flapper, Monthly Comic Alive, Monthly Comic Gene, and other manga magazines. It also publishes light novels under the MF Bunko J imprint. Enterbrain is best known for its Famitsu magazine, but it also publishes Tech Gian, Comic Beam, B's Log, Arcadia, and light novels under the Famitsu Bunko imprint.

Fujimi Shobo publishes Dragon Magazine, Monthly Dragon Age, Dragon Age Pure, and light novels under the Fujimi Fantasia Bunko imprint. Chukei Publishing Company is best known outside Japan for publishing learning guides that use anime and manga as teaching tools.

The strategic change is subject to approval at the regular shareholders meeting on June 22. The company explained that the new structure will improve profitability, strengthen the Kadokawa brand, and develop new business opportunities. The subsidiaries' names will still be retained as brand companies, except for Kadokawa Production. Kadokawa Group Holdings already merged ASCII and Media Works to form ASCII Media Works in 2007.

Source: ITmedia News via 0takomu