US Fund Blackstone to Acquire Japanese Online Manga Provider

Jun 19 (NHK) - US investment fund Blackstone says it's acquiring the Japanese operator of major online manga provider Mecha Comic. The aim is to tap the growing global market.

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Blackstone announced on Tuesday that it's making a tender offer for Mecha Comic's operator, Infocom.

The fund has agreed to buy over 57 percent of Infocom's shares from its parent company Teijin, a major textile maker.

The total acquisition cost is estimated to be 275 billion yen, or about 1.7 billion dollars.

Mecha Comic launched in 2006. A subsidiary of Infocom also started operations in the United States last year.

Japan's Research Institute for Publications says the domestic market for manga, including both paper and electronic editions, reached a record high in 2023. That was up 2.5 percent from the previous year.

The Japanese government positions the country's content industry, including manga, as a key sector.

Blackstone plans to expand related businesses and produce animated versions of the most popular titles.

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