Orange Inc. Accelerates Overseas Expansion of Japanese Manga with Launch of Cross-Publisher Subscription Service "emaqi Premium" for North America

Orange Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Masahiro Ugaki; hereinafter referred to as "Orange") is pleased to announce the launch of its new service, "emaqi Premium" (emaqi Premium), for its manga app "emaqi" (emaqi) in the United States and Canada, effective July 1, 2026 (US time).

At the time of service launch, over 10 major domestic and international publishers, including Kodansha USA, VIZ Media, Shonen Gahosha, and Akita Shoten, will officially participate. This will be one of North America's largest cross-publisher subscription manga distribution services, allowing users to read over 400 series and 2,000 volumes across multiple publishers within a single app. It also includes approximately 100 exclusive series available only on emaqi, an initiative to deliver excellent series, previously unavailable in English-speaking regions, to the world as official translated versions. *VIZ Media titles will begin rolling out sequentially after the launch on July 1st.

Participating Publishers and Titles (Partial List)

The service will offer a diverse and wide-ranging lineup, from popular series known by everyone in North America to works not yet widely known in the region.

*US Press Release: https://orange.inc/posts/20260701_02

Social Significance and Background of This Initiative: Towards the Healthy Development of Japan's Content Industry

"emaqi" is a platform born from a strong desire to deliver Japan's wonderful manga, carefully nurtured by its creators and publishers, to overseas readers accurately, without compromising its charm. We have been working to create an environment where overseas fans, with their fervent demand, can access official translated versions beyond the boundaries of individual publishers. And to build a future where the passion of manga fans worldwide is returned to Japanese creators.

Currently, while the global popularity of manga is rapidly expanding, the protection of intellectual property in overseas markets and the expansion of legitimate distribution channels are extremely important issues for Japan's content industry. According to research by a specialized organization (General Incorporated Association ABJ), the estimated damage caused by illegal pirated versions of Japanese manga in 2025 will reach 688.8 billion yen.

There are two major structural challenges in expanding the supply of official versions. The first is the lack of a comprehensive "distribution platform" that allows overseas readers to easily enjoy official works from many publishers. The second is the problem of "translation and localization capacity," where the production of official translated versions cannot keep up with the enormous demand from overseas fans.

To solve these two challenges, Orange has established its own localization system that combines advanced technology with a professional translation and typesetting team. While prioritizing quality to deliver the full charm of the works, we are also focusing on creating a system to deliver more titles, with plans to translate and publish 100 books in July 2026 alone. We are building a system to stably continue official localization at the same or a larger scale in the future.

At the same time, with the launch of "emaqi Premium," we can now deliver our works to fans worldwide through a global distribution infrastructure. By delivering Japanese manga correctly overseas and building a healthy ecosystem where profits are reliably returned to creators, we aim to contribute to building the foundation for the sustainable development of Japan's manga industry going forward.

Comments from Participating Publishers

・Masaya Ueno, Sr. VP, Publishing Licensing and Strategic Initiatives, VIZ Media

At VIZ, we're always looking for new ways to connect readers with great manga, and discoverability remains a key priority as the manga market continues to expand," said Masaya Ueno, Sr. VP, Publishing Licensing and Strategic Initiatives, VIZ Media. "emaqi Premium offers an innovative way for fans to discover and explore a broader range of stories while supporting the creators and publishers behind them. We're pleased to support this launch and look forward to helping even more readers discover their next favorite series.

(Translated into Japanese by Orange) At VIZ, we are constantly seeking new ways to connect readers with great manga, and discoverability remains an important priority as the manga market continues to expand. "emaqi Premium" offers an innovative means for fans to discover and explore a wider range of works, while also supporting the creators and publishers behind them. We are very excited about the opportunity to deliver our diverse range of works to more people through this "emaqi Premium" and for them to discover their next "favorite" story.

・Masataka Ohno, Director of Media Business Department, Shonen Gahosha Co., Ltd.

We at Shonen Gahosha deeply respect the deep love for manga and the sincere approach to each work that everyone at Orange possesses. That is precisely why we are confident that we can entrust our precious works to them.

While it is by no means easy to deliver our works directly to overseas readers, we are very excited about the opportunity through "emaqi Premium" to deliver our diverse range of works to more people and for them to discover their next "favorite" story.

Comment from Masahiro Ugaki, Representative Director of Orange Inc.

Under the mission of "Creating a world where everyone enjoys manga," Orange was established with the goal of "All manga, in all languages," to deliver Japan's wonderful manga to readers worldwide. The "emaqi Premium" we are launching today is a challenge to build a healthy ecosystem where works carefully nurtured by Japanese creators and publishers can be delivered correctly to fans and supported, without being threatened by pirated versions in the overseas market.

In the North American market, creating an environment where official translated versions are easily accessible is a crucial step in protecting the value of works and nurturing new readers. We sincerely thank all participating publishers who have placed their trust in us and taken this step forward with us for the launch of "emaqi Premium."

Our challenge has just begun. We will continue to remember our responsibility in handling the works, deliver wonderful titles beyond publisher boundaries to overseas fans with care, and contribute to the future and sustainable development of Japan's manga industry by realizing appropriate profit distribution to creators through a transparent system.

About Orange Inc.

Orange is a startup with the mission "Creating a world where everyone enjoys manga." We aim to realize a society where people worldwide can enjoy manga through our proprietary platform "emaqi" by translating manga into multiple languages using our unique generative AI. We believe that accelerating the overseas distribution of officially translated versions will deter piracy and lead to profit distribution to creators.

Company Overview

Company Name: Orange Inc.

Representative: Masahiro Ugaki, Representative Director & CEO

Location: 35 Kowa Bldg., 1-14-14 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Established: April 2021

Capital: 1.72 billion yen (including capital reserve)

URL: https://orange.inc/ja