Rafu Shimpo
Rafu Shimpo is a bilingual Japanese-English daily newspaper founded in 1903 and based in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, serving the Japanese-American community with a print edition, a digital e-newspaper, advertising, classifieds, and an e-commerce shop.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1903
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Rafu Shimpo does
Rafu Shimpo (Los Angeles Japanese Daily News) is a bilingual Japanese-English newspaper founded in 1903 and headquartered in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. It publishes a daily print edition and operates a digital e-newspaper and website built on the Newspack CMS platform, serving the Japanese-American community across Southern California (with growing Northern California coverage) and Japanese-speaking readers more broadly. The product surface spans a print newspaper, a digital news site, an e-commerce shop (rafumarket.com), social media channels, and an email newsletter.
The company generates revenue through a diversified media model: print subscriptions (4,000+ subscribers), digital/e-newspaper subscriptions, print advertising, digital advertising (banner slots on the website), paid classifieds, and paid obituary notices. Audience reach across digital channels includes 100,000 monthly page views, 22,000 social media followers, and traffic that is approximately 74% mobile. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer for subscriptions and direct-sale for advertising, with named advertisers drawn primarily from Japanese-American-aligned businesses (e.g., gaming/tribal, financial, restaurant sectors). The business is privately held, has been operating continuously for over 120 years, and shows no public funding history, no M&A activity, and no disclosed AI/ML capability layer beyond standard CMS tooling.
Rafu Shimpo firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Rafu Shimpo
- Legal name
- Los Angeles Japanese Daily News
- Website
- https://rafu.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1903
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Rafu Shimpo is a bilingual Japanese-English daily newspaper founded in 1903 and based in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, serving the Japanese-American community with a print edition, a digital e-newspaper, advertising, classifieds, and an e-commerce shop.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Rafu Shimpo is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Rafu Shimpo business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Print Advertising: Display advertising in the print edition including color and black & white options across full page, half page, and quarter page sizes
- Digital Advertising: Online advertising including leaderboard and sidebar placements on rafu.com website
- Print Subscription: Paid print newspaper subscription for home delivery of the daily newspaper
- Digital Subscription: E-newspaper subscription for access to digital edition of the newspaper
- Classified Advertising: Paid classified advertising placements including obituaries and community notices
- Obituary Notices: Paid obituary notice services in both English and Japanese, handled through dedicated contacts Yumi Ouchi (English) and Kenji Tokunaga (Japanese)
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Digital Sidebar Slot 1 - Premium placement |
| Subscription | Monthly | Digital Sidebar Slots 2-5 |
| One time/ perpetual license | Monthly | Color Print Full Page |
| One time/ perpetual license | Monthly | Color Print Half Page |
| One time/ perpetual license | Monthly | Color Print Quarter Page |
| One time/ perpetual license | Monthly | Black & White Print Full Page |
| One time/ perpetual license | Monthly | Black & White Print Half Page |
| One time/ perpetual license | Monthly | Black & White Print Quarter Page |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Monthly | Classified Advertising |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Rafu Shimpo product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Rafu Shimpo is a bilingual Japanese-English newspaper founded in 1903, based in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. It publishes original journalism covering community news, politics, sports, lifestyle, Japantowns, and obituaries for the Japanese American community across print and digital editions. The company sells print and digital subscriptions, display advertising in both formats, classifieds, and obituary placement services.
Product overview
Rafu Shimpo operates as a bilingual Japanese-English language newspaper with two primary delivery platforms: a print newspaper subscription service and a digital E-Newspaper platform. The company offers advertising services across both print and digital formats, including display advertising, classifieds, and obituary placements. Revenue is generated through subscriptions (4,000+ print subscribers) and advertising (digital sidebar slots ranging $200-$400/month, print full-page rates from $1,900-$2,500).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- E-Newspaper Digital Subscription
Quantifiable outcome
- 100,000 average monthly page views with 74% mobile traffic
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Rafu Shimpo
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Rafu Shimpo technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Rafu Shimpo partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Rafu Shimpo competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sing Tao Daily: Sing Tao Daily is a major Chinese-language newspaper with substantial U.S. circulation serving Chinese-American readers. Directly comparable to Rafu as an ethnic-language community newspaper offering bilingual content, print and digital subscriptions, and display advertising targeting an Asian-American demographic.
- Korea Daily: Korea Daily is one of the largest Korean-language newspapers in the United States, with print and digital editions serving the Korean-American community. Highly comparable to Rafu in business model, audience (Korean-American vs Japanese-American), and operations (regional print home delivery plus bilingual digital platform).
- Asian Journal: Asian Journal is a Filipino-American newspaper based in California, serving the Filipino-American community with news, culture, and advertising. Comparable to Rafu as a regional Asian-American ethnic newspaper with print and digital distribution, community-focused content, and display advertising targeting a specific immigrant demographic.
- India West: India West is a leading Indian-American newspaper covering news, culture, and community events for the Indian diaspora in the U.S. Comparable to Rafu as a community-focused ethnic newspaper with print and digital editions, targeted advertising, and bilingual/multilingual reach within a specific Asian-American demographic.
- Korea Times: Korea Times is another major Korean-American newspaper with U.S. operations spanning print and digital. Comparable to Rafu as an ethnic community newspaper targeting Korean-American readers, with a similar mix of advertising, subscriptions, and community-oriented content.
- World Journal: World Journal is the largest Chinese-language newspaper in the United States, operating both print and digital editions serving a specific Asian-American demographic. Comparable to Rafu as a long-running ethnic-language newspaper serving an immigrant community with bilingual/dual-language content, advertising-driven revenue, and similar print-to-digital transition dynamics.
Regional players
- Philippine Daily Inquirer: Philippine Daily Inquirer has U.S. distribution and serves Filipino-Americans with news content. Comparable to Rafu as a national-origin newspaper with a U.S. audience, but operates primarily from the Philippines and reaches Filipino-Americans from abroad rather than as a U.S.-rooted community institution.
- Asahi Shimbun (U.S. operations): Asahi Shimbun is one of Japan's largest national newspapers with a Japanese-language digital edition serving Japanese readers abroad. Comparable to Rafu as a Japanese-language news source, but operates from Japan at vastly larger scale; not a direct competitor in LA but serves overlapping Japanese-speaking audiences globally.
- Mainichi Shimbun (U.S. operations): Mainichi Shimbun is another major Japanese national newspaper with international digital distribution to Japanese readers abroad. Comparable to Rafu as a Japanese-language news outlet serving Japanese-speaking audiences, though it is based in Japan and competes for Japanese expatriate readership rather than multigenerational Japanese-American community coverage.
Broad incumbents
- Los Angeles Times: The Los Angeles Times is the dominant general-market newspaper in the same Los Angeles market where Rafu operates. Comparable as a regional Los Angeles newspaper with print and digital editions, subscriptions, and advertising, but at vastly larger scale and serving a general audience rather than a specific ethnic community.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Rafu Shimpo social profiles
Digital presenceRafu Shimpo financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Rafu Shimpo leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Rafu Shimpo funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Rafu Shimpo 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 Rafu Shimpo
What does Rafu Shimpo do?
Rafu Shimpo is a bilingual Japanese-English newspaper founded in 1903, based in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. It publishes original journalism covering community news, politics, sports, lifestyle, Japantowns, and obituaries for the Japanese American community across print and digital editions. The company sells print and digital subscriptions, display advertising in both formats, classifieds, and obituary placement services.
Is Rafu Shimpo a public or private company?
Rafu Shimpo is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Rafu Shimpo founded?
Rafu Shimpo was founded in 1903. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Rafu Shimpo based?
Rafu Shimpo is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does Rafu Shimpo make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Print Advertising is the primary driver. The others are digital Advertising, print Subscription, digital Subscription, classified Advertising and obituary Notices.
Who are Rafu Shimpo's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sing Tao Daily, Korea Daily, Asian Journal, India West, Korea Times and World Journal. Regional players are Philippine Daily Inquirer, Asahi Shimbun (U.S. operations) and Mainichi Shimbun (U.S. operations). Los Angeles Times is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Rafu Shimpo have an API?
No public API is recorded for Rafu Shimpo.