Tokuma Shoten President Dies

Yasuyoshi Tokuma, head of Tokuma Shoten, a major Japanese publishing company, and a driving force behind Miyazaki’s projects has died at 78. Until 1983, Tokuma Shoten produced newspapers and magazines. That year, Tokuma decided to make a movie based on Miyazaki’s phenomenally popular manga, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. He let Miyazaki direct, despite Miyazaki’s first feature, Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro flopping at the box office several years before. Tokuma-sensei also produced every Studio Ghibli film to follow Nausicaa, and live-action movies including Shall We Dance and the new Gamera trilogy.

Source: Ain’t It Cool News