- Business
- Toho Co., Ltd. engages primarily in motion picture production and distribution, theatrical productions, and real estate operations in Japan. The company produces, acquires, and distributes feature films including kaiju titles such as the Godzilla franchise, Rodan, Mothra, King Ghidorah, and Mechagodzilla; animated films from studios like Studio Ghibli, Shin-Ei Animation, TMS Entertainment, CoMix Wave Films, and OLM, Inc.; live-action films by directors including Akira Kurosawa and Ishirō Honda; and international films via subsidiaries Toho-Towa Company, Limited (distributor for Universal Pictures), and Towa Pictures Company Limited (distributor for Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros.); it also plans, produces, and exhibits stage plays such as Les Misérables, Elisabeth, Rent, Spirited Away, and Moulin Rouge!; and manages real estate leasing of land and buildings. Toho Animation label handles anime productions like Jujutsu Kaisen, Spy × Family, My Hero Academia, and Kaiju No. 8; the company additionally licenses merchandising, operates movie theaters across Japan, and distributes television programs, home video products, and video games. Founded in 1932 by Ichizō Kobayashi and headquartered in the Toho Hibiya Building in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Toho forms a core part of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group and holds a 7.96% stake in Fuji Media Holdings Inc., operating predominantly in Japan with expanding international reach through subsidiaries like Toho International Inc. Recent developments include the October 2024 acquisition of 100% equity in GKIDS, Inc., the North American animation distributor, to bolster overseas expansion under the TOHO VISION 2032 strategy; the September 2025 purchase of a 6.09% stake in CoMix Wave Films to enhance animation capabilities; a December 2023 investment of $225 million for a 25% stake in Fifth Season to foster global content collaboration; a 2022 controlling stake in TIA, rebranded as Toho Animation Studios; and April 2025 plans for ¥15 billion investment in Godzilla IP including a Godzilla Minus One sequel, alongside a ¥120 billion three-year commitment to film, anime, and international projects.