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The Asahi Shimbun
Culture
Manga & Anime
article
By TOMOYUKI IZAWA/ Staff Writer
June 22, 2026 at 18:03 JST
Indian editions of “Attack on Titan” will be produced and published in the country. (Provided by Kodansha Ltd.)
Kodansha Ltd. is establishing an Indian subsidiary in July to directly publish its translated titles there with the goal of leveraging the country’s large, youthful population to expand Japan’s entertainment market.
This is the first instance of a major Japanese publisher launching a company in India to publish manga and books. Kodansha will hold an 81-percent stake as one of three founding parties alongside Dai Nippon Printing Co. and a domestic Indian company.
Business is expected to begin in the fall. The company plans to publish manga such as “Attack on Titan” and “Blue Lock” in English and Hindi.
In the first fiscal year, it plans to release 100 titles and hopes to increase that to 200 titles per year not too long after.
In addition to publishing picture books and children’s books, the company intends to sell related merchandise and organize events. It aims to achieve sales of several billion yen in five years.
Kodansha has previously published the picture book series “Mottainai (No-waste) Grandma” in 13 Indian languages with total sales reaching 700,000 copies.
Anime is often based on manga, and India’s anime market in India is currently estimated to be worth more than $1 billion (about 160 billion yen).
Some projections indicate that it could grow to around $4 billion by 2030.
Kodansha views it as “a market said to have the highest growth rate in the world and one with great potential for the future.”
In terms of tasks, the new entity is to split production management with Dai Nippon Printing while handling the marketing. Printing will be outsourced to local companies in India.
This approach is meant to make titles accessible to Indian readers at lower prices than the current English editions that the company exports from the United States while also helping to combat piracy.
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