Curtains fall on a history of more than 40 years at Asahi Sonorama

Asahi Sonorama and Asahi Shimbun Company announced on June 21 that Asahi Sonorama would be dissolved at the end of September. The parent company, Asahi Shimbun Company, will inherit the publishing rights of the company's books and magazines as well as willing employees and attempt to regenerate it from October within the publishing headquarters of Asahi Shimbun Company.

Asahi Sonorama's President, Mr. Takashi Iida, indicated that the situation of staying insolvent had continued for at least twenty years, while most recently the amount in liabilities had risen to approximately 1.6 billion yen.

It is believed the company's fall into insolvency began in the 1970s when it failed to expand its magazine business, which sold magazines together with Sonosheets (vinyl records). It continued to stay insolvent into the 90s when it experienced its second managerial crisis with the burst of Japan's economic bubble, but thanks to the cooperation of Asahi Shimbun Company, it had been able to continue its operations to this day.

However, with the aging of its employees over recent years, it became difficult to continue operations, and after engaging in consultations with Asahi Shimbun Company since last year, the current measure was adopted. The company plans to make the dissolution definitive at the shareholder's meeting to be held in September and apply for special liquidation, after which Asahi Shimbun Company is to take on all the debts.

The last books to be published by Asahi Sonorama will be released in June, marking an end to the publication of new books from the company. Asahi Sonorama will publish all of its four magazines, including comics, until September, and from October, they will be published by Asahi Shimbun Company.

Asahi Sonorama was established in September 1959 with financing from Asahi Shimbun Company and rose to popularity in the 80s with titles such as Crusher Joe (Haruka Takachiho) and Vampire Hunter D. In recent years, the company had been focusing on comics oriented toward women, such as the Hyakyagyoushyo (Night Parade of Spirits and Monsters), and comics had been accounting for 70 percent (500-600 titles) of their publications.


*Some of the book titles are tentative translations.
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