The is a keiretsu

Keiretsu

A is a set of companies with interlocking business relationships and shareholdings. It is a type of business group. The keiretsu has maintained dominance over the Japanese economy for the greater half of the twentieth century....

 publishing group in Hitotsubashi, Chiyoda

Chiyoda, Tokyo

is one of the 23 special wards in central Tokyo, Japan. In English, it is called Chiyoda ward. As of October 2007, the ward has an estimated population of 45,543 and a population density of 3,912 people per km², making it by far the least populated of the special wards...

, Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. It is composed of Shogakukan

Shogakukan

is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...

, Shueisha

Shueisha

is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...

, Hakusensha

Hakusensha

is a Japanese publishing company. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo.The company mainly publishes manga magazines of various genres and is involved in certain series' productions in their games, original video animation, musical and their animated TV series....

 and related publishing companies. The name of the group is derived from the location of its major members' headquarters in the Hitotsubashi

Hitotsubashi

is a name in Japan. The name appears in some contexts:*Hitotsubashi, Chiyoda, a place in Chiyoda, Tokyo*Hitotsubashi Group, a publishing keiretsu*Hitotsubashi University*Hitotsubashi-Tokugawa, a branch of the Tokugawa Clan...

 area of Tokyo. The group companies are mostly run by the Ōga family, whose influence in the companies is still strong today.

It was started when Shogakukan, which was focused mainly on educational magazines and other related publishing at the time, decided to spin off a company (Shueisha) to produce entertainment magazines. Eventually, Shogakukan moved into the entertainment business as well, and became a rival of Shueisha, and the group was formed to help each one grow. The headquarters buildings for Shogakukan and Shueisha are right next to each other.

Group members

• Hakusensha
  Hakusensha
  is a Japanese publishing company. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo.The company mainly publishes manga magazines of various genres and is involved in certain series' productions in their games, original video animation, musical and their animated TV series....
  
  
• President
• Shodensha
  Shodensha
  is a Japanese publisher of mostly non-fiction magazines and books, though it has recently begun publishing light novels and manga, including magazines which contain both...
  
  
• Shogaku Tosho
• Shogakukan
  Shogakukan
  is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...
  
  
• Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions (Shopro)
• Shorinsha
• Shotsu
• Showa Tosho
• Shueisha
  Shueisha
  is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...