by Anime adaptations of other companies’ IP, such as “Oshi no Ko,” are also being made and developing capabilities for diverse media and overseas expansion. The company’s rapidly growing IP development capabilities in recent years are another reason for its high expectations among many professionals. First, note its ability to expand into diverse media.
Kurihara analyzes, “Our strength lies in our subsidiaries, including anime production companies (Studio KADAN, Chiptune, etc.) and game production companies (Acquire, Spike Chunsoft, etc.). We can adapt IP created through our publishing business into anime and games within the group.
This is an advantage that sets us apart from other publishers.” KADOKAWA is particularly focused on in-house anime production within the group. In July 2024, it made headlines by acquiring Doga Kobo, the animation production studio behind the popular anime “Oshi no Ko,” for which it was the lead producer. As of May 2025, the group will have seven anime production studios. While establishing an in-house anime production system, KADOKAWA is actively adapting not only its original works but also those of other companies, including the aforementioned “Oshi no Ko.”
At the shareholders’ meeting, a question was raised about the company’s stance on utilizing other companies’ IP. To this, Director, President, and CEO Takeshi Natsuno explained, “Currently, we are not increasing the proportion of other companies’ works, but rather, we are increasing the overall number of titles we produce and accepting other companies’ works.” While not setting a specific target for the ratio of its works to those of other companies, the company indicated its intention to adapt as many titles as possible when the opportunity arises.
With this flexible and ambitious approach, the anime business is expected to continue achieving record-breaking results. Next, I want to touch upon its strong overseas expansion capabilities. Entertainment sociologist Atsuo Nakayama commented, “KADOKAWA has focused on the growing demand for Japanese comics and light novels overseas and is expanding its overseas bases. In 2024, it established a joint venture with a major European publishing company, and in 2025, it acquired an Italian manga and light novel publisher.” He offered specific examples. In the fiscal year ending March 2025, while the domestic print book market shrank, growth in Asia and the United States led to increased profits for overseas print books.
In the fiscal year ending March 2026, overseas print books are expected to see increased sales and profits, due in part to contributions from new bases. KADOKAWA has set a “Global Media Mix with Technology” as its basic strategy, clearly laying out a strategy for creating diverse IP and expanding it globally. There are no changes to its medium-term management plan, which aims for sales of 340 billion yen in the fiscal year ending March 2028 (277.9 billion yen in the fiscal year ending March 2025), and we look forward to seeing it leap forward as a global IP company.
One of KADOKAWA’s strengths is its in-house anime production companies (Studio KADAN, Chiptune, etc.) and game production companies (Acquire, Spike Chunsoft, etc.). The IP created through its publishing business can be adapted into anime and games within the group.
“This is an advantage that sets it apart from other publishers,” he analyzes. KADOKAWA is particularly focused on in-house anime production within the group. In July 2024, it made headlines by acquiring Doga Kobo, the animation production studio behind the popular anime series “Oshi no Ko,” for which it was the lead producer. As of May 2025, the group will have seven anime production studios. While establishing an in-house anime production system, the group is actively working to adapt not only its original works but also those of other companies, including the aforementioned “Oshi no Ko.”
At the shareholders’ meeting, a question was raised about the company’s stance on utilizing other companies’ IP. In response, CEO Takeshi Natsuno explained, “Currently, we are not increasing the proportion of other companies’ works, but rather increasing the overall number of titles we produce, while also accepting other companies’ works.” While the company does not have a specific target for the ratio of its works to those of other companies, it indicated a policy of adapting as many titles as possible into anime. With this flexible and ambitious approach, the anime business is expected to continue to achieve record-breaking results. Next, I would like to touch upon the company’s strong overseas expansion capabilities.
Entertainment sociologist Atsuo Nakayama commented, “KADOKAWA has focused on the growing demand for Japanese comics and light novels overseas, and is expanding its overseas bases. In 2024, it established a joint venture with a major European publishing company, and in 2025, it acquired an Italian manga and light novel publisher.” He offered specific examples.
In the fiscal year ending March 2025, while the domestic print book market shrank, growth in Asia and the United States led to increased profits for overseas print books. In the fiscal year ending March 2026, overseas print books are expected to see increased sales and profits, due in part to contributions from new bases. KADOKAWA has set a “Global Media Mix with Technology” as its basic strategy, clearly laying out a plan for creating diverse IP and expanding it globally.
There are no changes to its medium-term management plan, which aims for sales of 340 billion yen in the fiscal year ending March 2028 (277.9 billion yen in the fiscal year ending March 2025), and we look forward to seeing it leap forward as a global IP company. One of KADOKAWA’s strengths is its in-house anime production companies (Studio KADAN, Chiptune, etc.) and game production companies (Acquire, Spike Chunsoft, etc.). The IP created through its publishing business can be adapted into anime and games within the group.
“This is an advantage that sets it apart from other publishers,” he analyzes. KADOKAWA is particularly focused on in-house anime production within the group. In July 2024, it made headlines by acquiring Doga Kobo, the animation production studio behind the popular anime series “Oshi no Ko,” for which it was the lead producer. As of May 2025, the group will have seven anime production studios.
While establishing an in-house anime production system, the group is actively working to adapt not only its original works but also those of other companies, including the aforementioned “Oshi no Ko.” At the shareholders’ meeting, a question was raised about the company’s stance on utilizing other companies’ IP. In response, CEO Takeshi Natsuno explained, “Currently, we are not increasing the proportion of other companies’ works, but rather increasing the overall number of titles we produce, while also accepting other companies’ works.”
While the company does not have a specific target for the ratio of its works to those of other companies, it indicated a policy of adapting as many titles as possible into anime. With this flexible and ambitious approach, the anime business is expected to continue to achieve record-breaking results. Next, I want to touch upon the company’s strong overseas expansion capabilities.
Entertainment sociologist Atsuo Nakayama commented, “KADOKAWA has focused on the growing demand for Japanese comics and light novels overseas, and is expanding its overseas bases. In 2024, it established a joint venture with a major European publishing company, and in 2025, it acquired an Italian manga and light novel publisher.” In the fiscal year ending March 2025, while the domestic print book market shrank, growth in Asia and the United States led to increased profits from overseas print books.
In the fiscal year ending March 2026, overseas print books are expected to see increased sales and profits, thanks to the contribution of the new base. KADOKAWA has clearly outlined a strategy for creating diverse IP and expanding it globally, with a basic strategy of “Global Media Mix with Technology.” There are no changes to the mid-term management plan, which aims for sales of 340 billion yen in the fiscal year ending March 2028 (277.9 billion yen in the fiscal year ending March 2025), and we look forward to seeing the company make great strides as a global IP company.
