KEY POINTS

  • Tohan launches a translated-book export business with publishers, producing editions in Japan for overseas distribution
  • The first project will bring Mynavi Publishing's YURIKO illustration guide to China in simplified Chinese from October 2026
  • The model expands Tohan's role from brokering translation rights to exporting and distributing books through local partners
Tohan starts China book export business with Mynavi's YURIKO title
Illustration technique book 'YURIKO-style Shadow Design Workbook to Dramatically Improve Figure Coloring' by Mynavi Publishing, released in September 2025, translated into Simplified Chinese for the Chinese market.

TOKYO, Sept. 3 - Japanese book wholesaler Tohan Co. will launch a new business to produce translated editions of Japanese-language books with publishers and distribute them overseas, the company said on Sept. 3.

As its first project, Tohan and Mynavi Publishing Corp. have jointly produced a simplified Chinese edition of the illustration technique book "Jinbutsu Nuri ga Gekiteki ni Umaku Naru YURIKO-shiki Kage Shitei Workbook." Sales are scheduled to begin in China in October 2026 through bookstores and e-commerce platforms.

The book is a Chinese translation of an illustration guide by YURIKO that Mynavi Publishing released in Japan in September 2025. The Chinese edition, titled "Guangying Jiuxing! YURIKO de Guangying Shangse Shu," was published on Aug. 26, 2026, in B5 format with 168 pages. It includes two original cards, one featuring newly drawn artwork by YURIKO, and has a reversible cover shared with the Japanese edition.

Tohan said the new operation, which it calls a "kanbon" business, differs from its existing role, which mainly involves acting as an agent for Japanese publishers and brokering translation rights with overseas publishers. Under the new model, Japanese publishers produce translated editions in Japan, while Tohan exports and distributes them through local partners, enabling Japanese companies to take a more direct role from production through sales.

The company said its existing rights-brokerage business requires extensive negotiations and coordination before publication, while making it difficult to participate in promotion after release and limiting revenue opportunities. Tohan also plans to consider expanding into languages other than Chinese, as well as undertaking local printing, binding and promotion, as it seeks to build an overseas expansion model led from Japan.

In Japan's publishing industry, wholesalers such as Tohan have traditionally played a central role in distributing books domestically between publishers and retailers. The new initiative extends that role to cross-border distribution while keeping production of translated editions in Japan.

Originally published on jp.ibtimes.com