Two Major English Lanuguage Book Distributors Merge
by Sally Taylor -- Publishers Weekly, 3/10/2003
Two major distributors in the largest English language book market in the world, outside of the English-speaking countries, have merged. Yohan and Tuttle Shokai Inc. announced their agreement in Tokyo on the last day of February, to become effective and operational before the end of June.
The new company will be called Yohan, the shortened Japanese name of the venerable Western Publications Distribution Agency, founded after World War II by the father of the current president, Masanori Watanabe. Known affectionately at "Nori", Watanabe is a tireless global promoter of the Japanese market for books and magazines in a variety of languages, but primarily in English. His quarter newsletter "Quidnunc" offers a unique insight on the Japanese economic, political and cultural tempo.
Tuttle Shokai is a spinoff from the venerable Charles E. Tuttle Company, whose founder began publishing books in English about Japanese culture after the War. The distribution arm, Tuttle Shokai, was sold in 1999 by the current publisher, Erik Oei, a nephew of Charles Tuttle, to the current President, Hiroshi Kagawa, and Chief Financial Officer, Junji Kiyota.
They have succeeded in broadening the scope of the English language book market in Japan and will be active in running the new company. Kagawa joins the Holding Board of Yohan as President and CEO. Masanori Watanabe taking the role of Chairman. Junji Kiyota will become a Board member of Yohan. According to their press release, all issues related to the formation of the new company will be decided by this team of new Directors, together with other members of the Board.
"The purpose of this integration is to consolidate management resources and to build a strong management base from which the new organization will achieve stable growth in the rapidly expanding market for English learning," says Watanabe. The new CEO adds, "The foreign book business in Japan is now experiencing broad-sweeping changes and re-structuring resulting from the emergence of online bookstores. The formation of this new and powerful distributor will make a strong and positive contribution to the future of foreign book sales in Japan."
Even with strong competition from Japanese giants like Kinokuniya and Maruzen, the new Yohan expects to be the largest English language book distributor in Asia.
Inquiries about this press release should be addressed to:
Masanori Watanabe
Yohan*
Tel. 03-3984-0084
Email. nori@yohan-pub.co.jp
Hiroshi Kagawa
Tuttle Shokai Inc.*
Tel. 03-5414-5530
Email. kagawa@tuttlebook.co.jp
