Tugikuru

Tugikuru Co., Ltd. (ツギクル株式会社) is a Japanese publishing and digital content company established on 15 April 2016. It operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of SB Creative Corp., itself part of the SoftBank Group's media and content operations. The company is headquartered at 2-2-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo, the same address as its parent, and shares its representative director, Yasunari Tsuchihashi, with SB Creative. Its stated business activities cover publishing and related internet operations. Tugikuru's role within the group has been to support content businesses, particularly comics and digital publishing, complementing SB Creative's broader portfolio of digital content, publishing, sales support, planning and production, digital signage, and internet businesses. The company was capitalized at 40 million yen with 800 issued shares, all held by SB Creative. In February 2026, SB Creative announced that it would absorb Tugikuru in a merger effective 1 April 2026, with SB Creative as the surviving company. The stated purpose was to consolidate management resources within the group and strengthen the content business, including comics. Upon the effective date, Tugikuru was to be dissolved, with all assets, liabilities, rights, and obligations transferred to SB Creative, and existing contracts continuing in force with the surviving entity. This makes Tugikuru a short-lived but strategically relevant piece of SoftBank's content and publishing ecosystem.

Tugikuru Co., Ltd. was established on 15 April 2016 as a subsidiary within the SoftBank Group's content and publishing operations. It was capitalized at 40 million yen with 800 issued shares, all held by SB Creative Corp. The company was based at 2-2-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo, sharing its address and representative director, Yasunari Tsuchihashi, with its parent. Its business scope included publishing and internet-related activities, and it functioned as part of SB Creative's broader content strategy, which spans digital content, publishing, sales support and planning/production, digital signage, and internet businesses. SB Creative itself traces its origins to March 1999, when it was established as SoftBank Publishing Corp. through the spin-off of SoftBank Corp.'s publishing division. It became SoftBank Creative Corp. in October 2005 and was renamed SB Creative Corp. in October 2013. Over the years, SB Creative built a portfolio that included online publishing, electronic comics distribution (including Harlequin comics in Japan and South Korea), and digital signage. Tugikuru was created within this ecosystem to further content-related initiatives. On 2 February 2026, SB Creative announced that it would absorb Tugikuru in an absorption-type merger effective 1 April 2026, with SB Creative as the surviving company. The stated purpose was to consolidate management resources within the group and strengthen the content business, including comics. As of 31 January 2026, Tugikuru had capital of 40 million yen and 800 issued shares, all owned by SB Creative. Upon the effective date, Tugikuru was to be dissolved, with all assets, liabilities, rights, and obligations transferred to SB Creative, and existing contracts continuing with the surviving entity. This merger marked the end of Tugikuru as a separate legal entity, integrating its functions directly into SB Creative.

• Tugikuru Co., Ltd. is established.

• SB Creative announces absorption-type merger of Tugikuru effective 1 April 2026.

• Merger becomes effective; Tugikuru is dissolved and absorbed into SB Creative.

A group content and publishing subsidiary supporting SB Creative's comics and digital content strategy.

Product categories. Publishing · Digital content · Comics

1. 1SBクリエイティブ株式会社による ツギクル株式会社の吸収合併に関するお知らせsoftbankcr.co.jp
2. 2沿革｜SBクリエイティブ株式会社softbankcr.co.jp
3. 3Tugikuru - Wikidatawikidata.org