Gakken Plus Japan

What Gakken Plus Japan does

Gakken (株式会社学研) is a Tokyo-headquartered Japanese educational publishing company operating as a subsidiary of Gakken Holdings. The company runs six core business segments: publishing/content (出版・コンテンツ事業), global business (グローバル事業), medical and nursing publishing (医療・看護出版コンテンツ事業), school and social education (園・学校・社会人事業), e-commerce/online (EC・オンライン事業), and advertising (広告事業). Its wholly-owned operating subsidiaries include Gakken Educational (学研エデュケーショナル), Gakken Publishing, Gakken Medical/Nursing Publishing, Gakken Mall (the official consumer storefront), and the Gakken Education Research Institute and Gakken Science Research Institute. The company's portfolio spans children's books, brain-development game products, textbooks, medical/nursing reference materials, and exam-preparation tutoring services delivered via the Gakken Prime Seminar brand.

Name

Gakken Plus Japan

Legal name

株式会社学研 (Gakken Co., Ltd.)

Website

https://gakken-plus.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Gakken (株式会社学研) is a Tokyo-based Japanese educational publishing company, subsidiary of Gakken Holdings, that produces children's books, educational game products, medical/nursing publications, and tutoring services, distributed domestically via Amazon Japan, Rakuten Books, Seven Net, and its own Gakken Mall storefront.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (51313), Book Publishers (513130), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s Comics, Graphic Novels & Manga Publishing (MPAJAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Game-Based Learning & Gamification Authoring (EDAFAHAF), Core Subject Textbooks (ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies) (EDAGAAAA)

Keywords

• Educational publishing
• Children's books
• Brain development content
• Medical publishing
• Educational game books

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Educational Publishing Sales: One-time sale of educational game books and content products through retail and e-commerce channels. Revenue generated from individual product purchases at retail price points.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Gakken Plus Japan (株式会社学研/Gakken Co., Ltd.) is a Japanese educational publishing company producing children's books, educational game books, magazines, medical and nursing publications, and school education materials. The company operates across multiple business segments including Publishing/Content, Global Business, Medical/Nursing Publishing Content, School/Adult Education, EC/Online, and Advertising, selling primarily to Japanese consumers (children and parents) through e-commerce platforms and its own online mall.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dragon Drill GAMES: Educational game book series featuring puzzles, mazes, and brain-development activities for children
• ぴよちゃん (Piyotchan)
• 学研プライムゼミ (Gakken Prime Seminar)

Products and services

• Dragon Drill GAMES: The Challenge from the Inferno Emperor Dragon Super Brain King Educational game book for children featuring over 50 puzzles, mazes, and brain-development activities. Includes the Dragon Eye tool based on traditional memorization principles. Content development supervised by neuroscientist Dr. Kikuki Shinohara for cognitive skill enhancement. Sold at ¥1,650 per unit through Japanese e-commerce platforms targeting parents and children.
• Piyotchan (ぴよちゃん) Series Character-based educational method series designed for young children, featuring an intellectual development methodology. Recognized internationally with the NAPPA (North American Parenting Products Award) Education Award in 2026. Targets parents of young children seeking structured early childhood learning content.
• Gakken Prime Seminar (学研プライムゼミ) Exam preparation and tutoring services targeted at high school students preparing for entrance examinations. The company announced rescue support measures in January 2025 for examinees and first/second year high school students affected by the closure of Nichigaku.
• Medical and Nursing Publishing Content (医療・看護出版コンテンツ事業) Publishing content for medical and nursing professionals, operated through Gakken Medical/Nursing Publishing subsidiary. Provides specialized publications for healthcare practitioners and nursing students.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Amazon JapancoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor distribution partnership through Amazon Japan's marketplace platform. Dragon Drill GAMES educational product available for purchase through this channel, reaching broad consumer audience across Japan.
• Rakuten BookscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partnership through Rakuten's book retail channel. Educational products distributed via Rakuten Books platform to Japanese consumers.
• Seven NetcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partnership with Seven Net for retail and online sales of educational products in Japan.
• Dr. Kikuki Shinohara (Neuroscientist)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeuroscientist providing expert supervision and scientific oversight for the Dragon Eye tool and brain-development methodology used in Dragon Drill GAMES educational product.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Shogakukan: Major Japanese publisher of books, magazines, educational materials, and children's content with school distribution channels. Operates overlapping educational publishing and children's book categories with Gakken.
• Kadokawa Corporation: Large Japanese publishing and media conglomerate with book, magazine, and educational/test-prep content. Overlaps with Gakken in children's publishing, exam-prep materials (Gakken Prime Seminar vs. Kadokawa's KADOKAWA Gakushū System), and digital content distribution.
• Benesse Holdings: Japanese education and publishing group (including Berlitz and Kodomo Challenge) targeting children's cognitive development and school education. Directly comparable in the kids' educational content and parent-targeted subscription/publishing space to Gakken's Piyotchan and school segments.
• Kirihara Shoten: Japanese educational publisher specializing in English-language textbooks and language learning materials, recently joined the Gakken Group. Now a direct comparable for exam-prep and language-learning publishing within the Gakken ecosystem.
• Kodansha: One of Japan's largest publishers spanning books, magazines, and children's content (including manga imprints). Directly comparable to Gakken's general trade and children's publishing operations in the Japanese market.
• Kumon: Global educational content and tutoring service with significant Japan presence, focused on children's cognitive skill development through workbooks and instructor-led programs. Comparable in target demographic and educational methodology, though distributed via franchise rather than retail.

Broad incumbents

• Scholastic: Global children's book publisher and educational content distributor with K-12 and parent-facing channels. Comparable in children's book publishing and school distribution, but at a much larger global scale with U.S./Europe concentration.
• Shueisha: Major Japanese publisher strong in manga, magazines, and books. Overlaps with Gakken in Japanese-language publishing and children's content but with heavier emphasis on manga and entertainment IP than Gakken's educational focus.
• Iwanami Shoten: Long-established Japanese publisher with broad educational, academic, and general trade books. Comparable as a major Japanese publishing incumbent but not focused on children's cognitive development products like Gakken.

Regional players

• Workman Publishing: U.S. publisher of children's brain-teaser and puzzle activity books (e.g., Brain Quest) directly comparable to Gakken's Dragon Drill GAMES brain-development product category, though serving primarily the North American consumer market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gakken_p_saiyo
• Facebookfacebook.com/152062828190734

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments6 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gakken Plus Japan