What Chugoku Shimbun does

Chugoku Shimbun (株式会社 中国新聞社) is a 133-year-old regional media group headquartered in Hiroshima, Japan, operating the flagship daily newspaper "Chugoku Shimbun" (中国新聞) across five prefectures in the Chugoku region (Hiroshima, Okayama, Yamaguchi, Shimane, Tottori). The company employs 388 staff directly with approximately 1,600 across 19 wholly-owned subsidiaries spanning newspaper printing, commercial printing, broadcasting (RCC radio/TV), advertising, insert marketing, cable television, travel, leisure facilities, personnel services, and real estate. It distributes its print edition through a network of approximately 500 newspaper sales offices.

The company has built an integrated digital and membership infrastructure centered on the "Tarupo" (たるポ) customer data platform, which reached 400,000 members by June 2026 and is increasingly being externalized as a B2B infrastructure product (adopted by Hiroshima Toyopet). Its digital product portfolio includes the Chugoku Shimbun Digital news site (redesigned March 2026), the "Mimimi" SNS-style news app (Good Design Best 100 recipient), 14-language multilingual versions, the Hiroshima Carp official app "Kachikachi!", children's media ("Buntach"), and educational platforms ("Chupea Manabo", Kotumado). The group also operates the Hiroshima Peace Media Center for peace and nuclear journalism — a content moat tied to its unique position as one of only two newspapers in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.

Revenue is generated through six streams: (1) print and digital newspaper subscriptions (primary); (2) advertising across print, digital, signage, events, and group media properties; (3) digital media subscriptions and platform services; (4) broadcasting advertising via subsidiary RCC; (5) event and sports management sponsorship; and (6) managed services through the diversified group subsidiaries. The stated FY2024 revenue is ¥198 billion (with a likely interpretation issue that this represents ¥19.8 billion / 198億円 based on Japanese regional newspaper economics).

Name

Chugoku Shimbun

Legal name

株式会社 中国新聞社

Website

https://chugoku-np.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1892

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Chugoku Shimbun is a 133-year-old private regional media group based in Hiroshima, Japan, operating a daily newspaper across five Chugoku-region prefectures alongside 19 subsidiaries in broadcasting, printing, advertising, travel, and digital platforms serving approximately 454,000 print subscribers and 400,000 digital members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)

Keywords

• Regional newspaper publishing
• Digital news media
• Broadcasting services
• Advertising solutions
• Event management

Headquarters

HQ city

Hiroshima

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Newspaper Subscriptions: Core print newspaper subscription revenue from daily morning edition across Chugoku region with three headquarters (Hiroshima, Bingo/Fukuyama, Bocho/Yamaguchi) covering Hiroshima, Okayama, Yamaguchi, Shimane, and Tottori prefectures. Revenue: 198 billion yen (2024 December period).
2. Print and Digital Advertising: Comprehensive advertising services across print newspapers, 中国新聞デジタル website, event sponsorships, digital signage (C-vision, EDION VISION Hiroshima), and promotional campaigns for corporate and government clients.
3. Digital Media Services: Digital subscriptions for 中国新聞デジタル, news app みみみ, and platform services through たるポ membership. Includes premium content access and specialized services.
4. Broadcasting (中国放送 RCC): Radio and television broadcasting operations through subsidiary 中国放送 (RCC) - Hiroshima's only private broadcaster with combined radio/TV operations.
5. Event and Sports Management: Organizing major regional events including ひろしまフラワフェスティバFestival, ひろしま男子駅伝, cultural awards, and sports tournaments that generate sponsorship and participation revenue.
6. Group Company Services: Diversified revenue from 19 group companies including printing services, travel (たびまちゲート広島), culture/sports facilities (ちゅーピーパーク), cable broadcasting (ちゅピCOM), personnel services (メイツ中国), and real estate.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

Chugoku Shimbun publishes a daily regional newspaper (中国新聞) serving the Chugoku region of Japan (Hiroshima, Okayama, Yamaguchi, Shimane, Tottori prefectures), reaching 454,098 daily copies (Jan-Jun 2025 ABC average). The company operates the Chugoku Shimbun Digital online news platform, the Mimimi smartphone news app, the Tarupo customer data/membership platform (400,000 members), Chugoku Shimbun SELECT alternative morning edition, and provides advertising, marketing solutions, and event management services for corporate clients.

Product overview

Chugoku Shimbun operates as a comprehensive regional media organization offering a multi-platform portfolio centered on its flagship daily newspaper (中国新聞) and extending into digital news services (中国新聞デジタル), educational platforms (ことまど, ちゅーピーまなボー, 中国新聞 Edu Database), children's media (ぶんタッチ, みみみ), community engagement (たるポ, ちゅーピーくらぶ, たるトモ), specialized apps (カーチカチ！ for Hiroshima Carp baseball), lifestyle content (アシタノ), multilingual news services in 14 languages, event marketing, and business information databases (中国新聞+PLUS 日経テレコン). The company also provides marketing solutions for corporate clients and operates regional radio broadcasting (中国放送). The portfolio includes both traditional print products and modern digital platforms, with significant emphasis on regional content serving the Chugoku area of Japan.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• たるポ (Tarupo): Community support platform offering news, events, prize applications with single ID for regional services
• みみみ (Mimimi)
• ちゅーピーまなボー (Chupea Manabo)
• たるトモ (Tarutomo)
• U35
• 中国新聞SELECT
• カーチカチ！ (Car Chichaki)
• ちゅーピークラブ (Chupea Club)
• ぶんタッチ (Bun Touch)
• アシタノ (Ashitano)
• HIROSHIMA飲酒運転ゼロPROJECT
• 47CLUB
• Ippin帖

Products and services

• Chugoku Shimbun (中国新聞) Daily Newspaper

Quantifiable outcome

• 400,000 members on たるポ platform (June 2026)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• M&A Capital Partners (M&Aキャピタルパートナーズ)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 September 2025Business partnership for regional co-creation project in Hiroshima prefecture. Chugoku Shimbun and M&A Capital Partners entered into a business alliance to collaborate on regional revitalization initiatives.
• Hiroshima Toyopet (広島トヨペット)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2025Hiroshima Toyopet adopted Chugoku Shimbun's customer data platform たるポ as the infrastructure for their new member organization, demonstrating external B2B adoption of Chugoku Shimbun's digital platform technology.
• Hiroshima Prefectural Police (広島県警)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 February 2025Collaboration on digital information dissemination. Partnership to leverage digital platforms for public safety information distribution to Hiroshima residents.
• Hiroshima Prefecture (広島県)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 February 2023Investment in Hiroshima Prefecture Green Bond (50 billion yen, 10-year). Funds allocated to fisheries environment conservation and LED lighting at prefectural facilities.
• China Broadcasting (中国放送/RCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWholly-owned subsidiary operating Hiroshima's only private radio and television broadcaster. Provides broadcast platform and content synergy with newspaper operations.
• Hiroshima Toyopet, Sanfrecce Hiroshima (Corporate Sponsors)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerVarious corporate partnerships for events like ひろしまフラワフェスティバFestival and sports events including Carp and Sanfrecce coverage. Sponsors receive advertising and promotional benefits.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves4 records

Direct peers

• Kobe Shimbun: Kobe Shimbun serves the Kansai region with print and digital news and shares printing operations with Chugoku Shimbun's factories; comparable as a mid-sized Japanese regional daily with similar demographic and digital-transition pressures.
• Chunichi Shimbun: Chunichi Shimbun is a major Japanese regional newspaper serving the Chubu (Tokai) region with print, digital, and broadcasting operations, structurally the closest analog to Chugoku Shimbun in scale, business model, and regional-market focus.
• Hokkaido Shimbun: Hokkaido Shimbun is the dominant regional newspaper in Hokkaido with diversified group operations including printing and events, making it a close comparable in regional newspaper scale and group structure.
• Nishinippon Shimbun: Nishinippon Shimbun is the leading regional newspaper in the Kyushu region with similar multi-platform operations (print, digital, events) and group subsidiaries, directly comparable in business model.
• Kyoto Shimbun: Kyoto Shimbun is the dominant regional newspaper in the Kansai/Kyoto area with print, digital, and event operations, comparable in regional market position and diversified media group structure.

Broad incumbents

• Yomiuri Shimbun: Yomiuri Shimbun is Japan's largest-circulation national newspaper with extensive digital and group operations, providing a benchmark for scale and the largest competitive threat in regional advertising markets.
• Asahi Shimbun: Asahi Shimbun is one of Japan's five national newspaper publishers with broad digital and broadcasting operations, competing with Chugoku Shimbun for national advertising and reader attention across the Chugoku region.
• Mainichi Shimbun: Mainichi Shimbun is a national newspaper publisher with digital and group operations that overlap with regional players; it represents incumbent competitive pressure on Chugoku Shimbun's advertising and digital subscription base.
• Nikkei (Nihon Keizai Shimbun): Nikkei is Japan's leading business newspaper with a strong digital subscription model and is Chugoku Shimbun's partner for the 'Chugoku Shimbun +PLUS 日経テレコン' business database; it is both a collaborator and a competitive incumbent in business news.

Emerging players

• SmartNews: SmartNews is a digital-native news aggregation platform that competes for regional advertising and reader attention in Japan, representing the kind of technology-led competitor that pressures traditional regional newspaper economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/chugokunp
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCZ5YzGDu6CqqsCTIkTyPRig
• Facebookfacebook.com/chugokushimbun
• Instagraminstagram.com/chugokunp_u35

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Chugoku Shimbun