Talent Agency On The Books

Yoshimoto Kogyo, Japan’s biggest talent agency specializing in comedians, announced January 4 that it would launch a publishing enterprise in the next year.

The Osaka-based company will also invest 500 million yen in film projects.

Yoshimoto Books will be a joint venture with the Tokyo publishing house Wani Books.

The first publication, which starts in the spring, will be a biweekly comic book aimed at men in the 20-40 age bracket.

The stories in the comics will be based on stories and routines made famous by Yoshimoto comedians in their live acts.