chicago shimpo
The Chicago Shimpo is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit bilingual Japanese-English digital newspaper serving the Nikkei community and Japan-interested readers across the Midwest, founded in 1945 and now funded by community donations after its 2022 transition from print to free online publication.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1945
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What chicago shimpo does
The Chicago Shimpo is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit bilingual (Japanese-English) digital newspaper and the only Japanese-English bilingual publication in the Midwest. Founded on November 15, 1945 by Ryoichi Fujii to serve Nikkei residents who resettled in Chicago after WWII internment, the organization has published 6,178 print editions over its history and transitioned to a free online digital format on July 1, 2022, ceasing print publication with the May 27, 2022 edition. The publication operates as a public service media organization serving the Japanese-American community, Japanese nationals in the Midwest, and general readers interested in U.S.-Japan relations, trade, and cultural exchange.\n\nThe core product is a bilingual online newspaper published via a Squarespace-hosted website at chicagoshimpo.com, producing approximately 50 bilingual news and feature articles annually covering community news, obituaries, events, and cultural topics. Supplementary products include a weekly email newsletter, a community events calendar, and a historical digital archive of every edition since 1945, the latter created through a partnership with the Hoover Institution's Library and Archives. The publication maintains deep institutional ties with the Chicago Japanese American Council (CJAC) and its 12 member organizations, including JASC, JACL-Chicago, JCCC, and the Japanese Mutual Aid Society.\n\nThe business model is donation-based. After abandoning its print subscription model in 2022, the Chicago Shimpo now provides free online access to all readers and solicits tax-deductible contributions from the community to fund operations, writers, and translators. The organization operates with a very lean team under Robert W. Karr, Jr. (8th President and Editor & Chief, appointed April 2022) and Yoshiko Urayama (Correspondent and former 7th President, who led the 2018 transition to nonprofit status), and is governed by a board of directors. Revenue, donor base, and financial performance are not publicly disclosed.
chicago shimpo firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- chicago shimpo
- Legal name
- The Chicago Shimpo NFP
- Website
- https://chicagoshimpo.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1945
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- The Chicago Shimpo is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit bilingual Japanese-English digital newspaper serving the Nikkei community and Japan-interested readers across the Midwest, founded in 1945 and now funded by community donations after its 2022 transition from print to free online publication.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
chicago shimpo industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Newspaper
- NAICS
- Newspaper Publishers (513110)
- SIC
- Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Community, Ethnic & Multilingual News Publishers (MPAJADAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)
Keywords
Where chicago shimpo is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
chicago shimpo business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donations and Contributions: As a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, The Chicago Shimpo relies on donations from the community to support its operations. The organization actively solicits contributions to fund its team of writers and translators for bilingual news coverage.
- Former Subscription Model (Discontinued): Previously operated as a subscription-based paper newspaper with 6,178 editions published from 1945 to 2022. Transitioned to free online digital format on July 1, 2022.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free Online Access |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
chicago shimpo product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Chicago Shimpo publishes a free online bilingual (Japanese-English) newspaper delivering approximately 50 bilingual news and feature articles per year to the Japanese and Japanese American community in the Chicago Midwest region. It covers local community news, events, obituaries, and U.S.-Japan relations, and maintains a digital archive of all editions published since the newspaper's founding in 1945.
Product overview
The Chicago Shimpo is a single, unified online newspaper product that serves as the only Japanese-English bilingual newspaper in the Midwest. The publication transitioned from a print subscription model (1945-2022) to a free online digital format on July 1, 2022. The core offering is bilingual news coverage, with supplementary features including a community events calendar, weekly email news roundups, and a historical digital archive of all editions dating back to 1945.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Chicago Shimpo Online Newspaper A free online bilingual (Japanese-English) newspaper serving the Japanese and Japanese American community in the Chicago and Midwest region, providing news, feature articles, community events coverage, and obituaries in both English and Japanese. Target output is approximately 50 bilingual articles per year.
- Digital Archive of Historical Editions Online archive of all Chicago Shimpo editions from 1945 to the present, available through the Hoover Institution Library and Archives and on The Chicago Shimpo website, documenting Nikkei community history and U.S.-Japan relations activity in the Midwest.
- Weekly Email News Roundup Email newsletter that delivers weekly news summaries and updates to subscribers who sign up via the Chicago Shimpo website.
- Community Events Calendar Online calendar feature listing community events relevant to the Japanese and Japanese American community in the Chicago and Midwest region, accessible via the website's Events section (with a Japanese-language mirror at イベント).
Companies that use chicago shimpo
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
chicago shimpo technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
chicago shimpo partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Wisconsin Economic Development CorporationminorOrganization supporting Kikkoman expansion in Jefferson, Wisconsin. The Chicago Shimpo covered the groundbreaking ceremony and economic impact as part of Japanese business news.
- Hoover InstitutioncorePartnership to digitize every edition of the Chicago Shimpo from its inception in 1945. The collection is available in the Institutions Library and Archives and on the Chicago Shimpo website.
- Chicago Japanese American Council (CJAC)coreUmbrella organization of 12 Japanese and Japanese American nonprofit organizations with which The Chicago Shimpo collaborates for community events and coverage. Member organizations include CJAHS, CJC, Chicago Nisei Post 1183, Japanese Buddhist Federation, Heiwa Terrace, JACL-Chicago Chapter, JASC, JCCC, JCC, Japanese Mutual Aid Society, US-Japan Council Midwest, and Japan America Society of Chicago.
- Japanese American Service Committee (JASC)coreCommunity organization that provides venue for CJAC events and collaborates with The Chicago Shimpo on coverage of Japanese American community activities.
- Bank of America Chicago MarathonminorThe Chicago Shimpo provides coverage of Japanese elite athletes participating in the Chicago Marathon, including interviews and race results.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
chicago shimpo competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Rafu Shimpo: The Rafu Shimpo is a Japanese-English bilingual newspaper serving the Japanese American community in Los Angeles. It is the most directly comparable peer to The Chicago Shimpo given shared bilingual Japanese-English format, ethnic-community focus, and nonprofit/news-of-record positioning, differing only by geographic market.
- Nichi Bei Times: The Nichi Bei Times is a bilingual Japanese-English newspaper serving the San Francisco Bay Area Nikkei community. It is a direct peer in the Japanese American ethnic newspaper category, sharing mission, format, and audience with The Chicago Shimpo.
- Hokubei Mainichi: Hokubei Mainichi is a Japanese-English bilingual newspaper based in San Francisco targeting the Japanese American community. It is directly comparable in product format (bilingual newspaper), customer base (Nikkei readers), and community service mission.
- Korea Daily: Korea Daily is a Korean-American ethnic newspaper with multilingual coverage serving the Korean diaspora in major U.S. metros. It is a directly comparable ethnic community newspaper model with similar nonprofit or community-driven revenue dynamics.
- International Examiner: The International Examiner is a nonprofit Asian American community newspaper based in Seattle covering Pacific Northwest Asian communities. It is directly comparable as a small nonprofit ethnic community newspaper with similar digital pivot and donation-based revenue model.
- Asian Journal: The Asian Journal is a Filipino American community newspaper distributed across major U.S. cities. It is directly comparable as a multilingual ethnic-community publication serving an Asian American diaspora audience with similar advertising and community-organization driven business model.
Broad incumbents
- Nikkei Asia: Nikkei Asia is the English-language digital publication of Nikkei (the parent of the Financial Times group), covering Asian business and Japan-related news. It is comparable as a major English-language source on Japan and Asia, competing for the same Japan-interested readers in a broader scope.
- Asahi Shimbun: Asahi Shimbun is one of Japan's largest national newspapers with extensive English and Japanese digital coverage. It is comparable as a major Japanese-language news source that competes for Japanese-reading audiences in the Midwest Nikkei community.
- Mainichi Shimbun: Mainichi Shimbun is a major Japanese national newspaper with English digital editions. It competes for the same Japanese-language reading segment of the Nikkei community that The Chicago Shimpo serves in its bilingual format.
- World Journal: World Journal is a major Chinese-language daily newspaper serving the Chinese diaspora across North America. It is a broad incumbent in the Asian American ethnic newspaper space with overlap in audience for bilingual Asian community news in U.S. metros.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
chicago shimpo social profiles
Digital presencechicago shimpo financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
chicago shimpo leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
chicago shimpo funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
chicago 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 chicago shimpo
What does chicago shimpo do?
The Chicago Shimpo publishes a free online bilingual (Japanese-English) newspaper delivering approximately 50 bilingual news and feature articles per year to the Japanese and Japanese American community in the Chicago Midwest region. It covers local community news, events, obituaries, and U.S.-Japan relations, and maintains a digital archive of all editions published since the newspaper's founding in 1945.
Is chicago shimpo a public or private company?
chicago shimpo is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was chicago shimpo founded?
chicago shimpo was founded in 1945.
Where is chicago shimpo based?
chicago shimpo is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does chicago shimpo make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Contributions are the primary driver. The others are former Subscription Model (Discontinued).
Who are chicago shimpo's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Rafu Shimpo, Nichi Bei Times, Hokubei Mainichi, Korea Daily, International Examiner and Asian Journal. Broad incumbents are Nikkei Asia, Asahi Shimbun, Mainichi Shimbun and World Journal.
Does chicago shimpo have an API?
No public API is recorded for chicago shimpo.
What industry is chicago shimpo in?
chicago shimpo's product category is Community Newspaper. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJADAG, Community, Ethnic & Multilingual News Publishers, with a secondary code of MPAJADAB, Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital). Its NAICS code is 513110 and its SIC code is 2711.