The Diplomat Magazine
The Diplomat is an independent English-language digital magazine covering Asia-Pacific current affairs, serving diplomats, policy professionals, business readers, and academic researchers via subscriptions to its website, weekly newsletter, and multimedia content.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What The Diplomat Magazine does
The Diplomat Magazine, operated by Diplomat Media Inc. and headquartered in Washington, D.C., is an independent English-language digital publication focused exclusively on Asia-Pacific current affairs. Founded in 2009 and publishing 5,000+ articles per year across regional verticals (Central Asia, East Asia, Oceania, South Asia, Southeast Asia) and topical verticals (Security, Politics, Diplomacy, Economy, Society, Environment), it maintains a 16-year editorial archive. The platform is built on a WordPress-based digital publishing stack supplemented by a standalone digital magazine archive (magazine.thediplomat.com), a weekly newsletter (Diplomat Brief), and multimedia modules including podcasts, videos, and photo essays.
The Diplomat Magazine firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Diplomat Magazine
- Legal name
- Diplomat Media Inc.
- Website
- https://thediplomat.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Diplomat is an independent English-language digital magazine covering Asia-Pacific current affairs, serving diplomats, policy professionals, business readers, and academic researchers via subscriptions to its website, weekly newsletter, and multimedia content.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Diplomat Magazine industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital News and Analysis
- NAICS
- International Affairs (928120)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Public Diplomacy, Cultural Diplomacy & Strategic Communications (BPAIAIAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- International News & Current Affairs Broadcasters (MPABAEAD)
Keywords
Where The Diplomat Magazine is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tokyo
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Diplomat Magazine business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Digital Subscriptions: Subscription-based revenue model offering unlimited access to in-depth Asia-Pacific analysis. Individual subscriptions available at monthly (USD 9.99) and annual (USD 79) tiers. Organizational and institutional group subscriptions available at scaled discounted rates. Student subscription option offered. All plans provide ad-free reading across all devices.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | All-Access Monthly Subscription |
| Subscription | Annual | All-Access Annual Subscription (Best Value) |
| Subscription | Annual | Student Subscription |
| Subscription | Annual | Group & Institutional Subscriptions |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
The Diplomat Magazine product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Diplomat is a digital current-affairs magazine publishing in-depth articles, analysis, newsletters, podcasts, and video content focused exclusively on the Asia-Pacific region. It operates a subscription-based digital publishing platform offering individual, student, and institutional subscribers access to its 16-year archive of expert coverage spanning diplomacy, security, politics, economy, and society across Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania.
Product overview
The Diplomat Magazine is a single unified digital publishing platform offering Asia-Pacific current affairs coverage through its core website, supplemented by subscription-based access tiers and multimedia content modules. The portfolio consists of the main editorial platform delivering articles and analysis across 14 topic areas (Security, Politics, Diplomacy, Economy, Society, Environment, Opinion, Features, plus regional sections), the Diplomat Brief weekly newsletter, a 16-year digital archive, and multimedia offerings including podcasts, videos, and photo essays. Revenue is generated through individual subscriptions (All-Access at $79/year or $9.99/month, Student), institutional/group subscriptions, and sponsored content/advertising.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Diplomat Brief: Weekly newsletter providing exclusive insights and briefings on developing stories across the Asia-Pacific.
Products and services
- All-Access Individual Subscription
Companies that use The Diplomat Magazine
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Diplomat Magazine technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Diplomat Magazine partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Diplomat Magazine competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- The Japan Times: Japan's leading English-language newspaper covering Japan and broader Asia-Pacific. It overlaps with The Diplomat in Japanese and regional coverage but with a generalist news format rather than a current-affairs magazine focus.
- East Asia Forum: An academic platform based at ANU covering East Asian policy, economics, and security. It is comparable to The Diplomat in regional focus and analytical depth but is free, ad-free, and supported by research institutions.
- The Interpreter (Lowy Institute): Published by Australia's Lowy Institute, The Interpreter offers expert analysis on international affairs with strong Asia-Pacific coverage. It competes with The Diplomat for policy readers but is supported by a think-tank funding model rather than subscriptions.
Direct peers
- Nikkei Asia: Nikkei's English-language Asia publication covers business, politics, and economics across the region. It overlaps with The Diplomat in Asia-Pacific focus and policy/business readership, with a stronger business-and-finance orientation.
- Asia Times: An online news publication focused on Asia-Pacific geopolitics, security, and economics. It is comparable to The Diplomat in regional focus and policy-oriented coverage, though distributed free with advertising.
- South China Morning Post: A Hong Kong-based English-language news outlet covering China and broader Asia. While broader in scope and ad-supported, it competes directly with The Diplomat for Asia-Pacific policy and business readers.
- Foreign Affairs: Published by the Council on Foreign Relations, Foreign Affairs is a leading international-affairs periodical covering global geopolitics, security, and economics. It directly parallels The Diplomat's magazine-style subscription model and policy professional readership, though with a global rather than Asia-Pacific focus.
- Foreign Policy: A leading international-affairs magazine covering global politics, security, and economics with subscription access. Foreign Policy shares The Diplomat's periodical format, policy readership, and subscription-based revenue model, but operates globally.
Broad incumbents
- The Economist: A global weekly with substantial Asia-Pacific coverage and a paid subscription model. The Economist competes with The Diplomat for policy and business readers seeking international analysis, but with broader geographic scope and far greater scale.
Emerging players
- War on the Rocks: A digital publication covering defense, national security, and geopolitics. It overlaps with The Diplomat's security coverage and policy/diplomatic audience but skews more toward U.S. defense topics and operates ad-supported.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Diplomat Magazine social profiles
Digital presenceThe Diplomat Magazine financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Diplomat Magazine leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
The Diplomat Magazine funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Diplomat Magazine M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Diplomat Magazine
What does The Diplomat Magazine do?
The Diplomat is a digital current-affairs magazine publishing in-depth articles, analysis, newsletters, podcasts, and video content focused exclusively on the Asia-Pacific region. It operates a subscription-based digital publishing platform offering individual, student, and institutional subscribers access to its 16-year archive of expert coverage spanning diplomacy, security, politics, economy, and society across Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania.
Is The Diplomat Magazine a public or private company?
The Diplomat Magazine is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Diplomat Magazine founded?
The Diplomat Magazine was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Diplomat Magazine based?
The Diplomat Magazine is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does The Diplomat Magazine make money?
One revenue line is on record: digital Subscriptions.
Who are The Diplomat Magazine's main competitors?
Regional players on record are The Japan Times, East Asia Forum and The Interpreter (Lowy Institute). Direct peers are Nikkei Asia, Asia Times, South China Morning Post, Foreign Affairs and Foreign Policy. The Economist is listed as a broad incumbent. War on the Rocks is listed as an emerging player.
Does The Diplomat Magazine have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Diplomat Magazine.
What industry is The Diplomat Magazine in?
The Diplomat Magazine's product category is Digital News and Analysis. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIAIAE, Public Diplomacy, Cultural Diplomacy & Strategic Communications, with a secondary code of MPABAEAD, International News & Current Affairs Broadcasters. Its NAICS code is 928120 and its SIC code is 2721.