Aoba Publishing Co.,Ltd.

Aoba Publishing Co.,Ltd. (青葉出版株式会社) is a Japanese educational publisher headquartered in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture. Founded in December 1961 by Hideo Murakami, the company specializes in learning books, teaching materials and teaching tools for elementary schools, and has expanded into digital teaching content and school-administration support services. Its stated philosophy is 'the joy of understanding, materials that nurture' (わかるよろこび そだてる教材), and it describes its mission as devoting full effort to solving problems in the field — that is, in actual classrooms. The company's core product lines are organized into three categories: TESTS & WORKBOOKS (図書教材), covering tests and drills used in elementary schools; teaching materials and tools (教材教具), including art supplies, calligraphy sets, sewing kits and carving knives; and DIGITAL CONTENTS & SUPPORT (デジタル教材), including apps and school-affairs support. Its digital offerings include the digital teaching material 'Smanabi' (スマナビ) and school-administration services such as 'AI所見文例' (AI comment examples) and 'AI学校文書' (AI school documents). Aoba Publishing is a family-run, unlisted company: founder Hideo Murakami was followed by successive family members as representative director and president, and the current president is Yohei Murakami (村上洋平). Capital is 40 million yen and the company employs about 150 people. It operates a head office in Fukuyama, a Tokyo branch in Toshima ward, and the Seto dispatch centers (publishing and teaching-tools divisions) in Fukuyama. Products reach schools through a nationwide network of specially contracted dealers (特約販売店), and the company states its materials have been adopted in tens of thousands of schools across Japan and in countries including the United States, France and Singapore. Over more than six decades the company has moved from direct sales of printed supplementary materials into teaching tools, large-format social-studies reference collections, and most recently ICT services. It marked its 65th anniversary in 2026, counting from its 1961 founding.

Aoba Publishing was founded on December 15, 1961, in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, by Hideo Murakami, who entered the direct-sales supplementary-materials industry with the belief that 'the nation's recovery lies in the advancement of education.' The company began sales with 35 employees and issued its first publications — elementary-school materials such as 'Shukudai Purinto' (homework sheets), 'Kakikata' (writing), '○-nen no shiage' (year-end review) and 'Natsuyasumi no shukudai' (summer-holiday homework). In the early years the company expanded its footprint and catalogue: it opened an Osaka branch in 1963 and a Tokyo branch in 1964; began publishing Japanese, arithmetic, science and social-studies tests and joined the Japan Educational Book Materials Association in 1965; established Aoba Paper Co. to secure stable paper supply; completed the Chitose dispatch center in Numakuma, Fukuyama in 1966; and launched kanji drills, music workbooks and social-studies blank maps that year, followed by calculation drills in 1968. During the growth period from 1969 to 1988, Aoba entered the teaching-materials and tools business by setting up a materials division, starting with instruments such as castanets and harmonicas. It began publishing social-studies reference collections in 1971, completed its head-office building in Kitahonjo, Fukuyama in 1972, and opened a teaching-materials research institute in Hiroshima. A Tokyo branch building was completed in Minami-Otsuka, Toshima ward in 1973, serving as the East Japan sales base and an editorial base centered on science and social studies. The Chitose dispatch center was expanded in 1978; long-format 'repeated kanji and calculation drills' were launched and Aoba Bookbinding Co. was established in the 1980s; the social-studies reference collection became a major hit, supported by large-format teacher editions with red-printed answers and accompanying audio cassette tapes. Aoba Tosho Co. was established in 1986, and founder Hideo Murakami received the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Fourth Class, in 1988 for his contributions to the educational-materials industry and local education administration. Aoba Lease Co. was also founded. In the stable period from 1991 to 1995, a new head-office building was completed on land adjacent to the old office; Shunji Murakami became representative director and president in 1992; the Osaka branch function was integrated into the head office in 1994; and the Seto dispatch center was completed in Seto-cho, Fukuyama in 1995 as a logistics center handling everything from warehousing to shipping. The company also introduced works by picture-book artist Chihiro Iwasaki on the covers of its penmanship notebooks. From 2002 onward the company entered a new era. It launched denim-material calligraphy bags 'Cute' and 'Beat', which were novel at a time when simple designs were the norm, and introduced cloth-bag handy-type sewing kits, which became the mainstream for sewing sets thereafter. It began providing CD-ROMs with scoring software as teacher supplements to tests, issued 'Pre-Test' in 2008, completed a new Tokyo branch building in 2010, and launched kanji-drill notebooks and calculation-drill notebooks the same year. In 2011 it introduced the character Rilakkuma into its repeated drills. In 2023 the Seto dispatch center was expanded and the teaching-tools division relocated. In 2025 the company released 'AI所見文例,' a service to reduce school-administration workload. The company marked its 65th anniversary in 2026.

• 2026

  Company marks its 65th anniversary.

• 2025

  School-workload reduction service 'AI所見文例' released.

• 2023

  Seto dispatch center expanded; teaching-tools division relocated.

• 2011

  Rilakkuma character introduced into the repeated drills.

• 2010

  New Tokyo branch building completed; kanji-drill notebooks and calculation-drill notebooks launched.

• 2008

  'Pre-Test' published.

• 2002

  Launched denim calligraphy bags 'Cute' and 'Beat'.

• 1995

  Seto dispatch center completed in Seto-cho, Fukuyama.

• 1994

  Osaka branch function integrated into the head office.

• 1992

  Shunji Murakami became representative director and president.

• 1991

  New head-office building completed.

• 1988

  Founder Hideo Murakami awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Fourth Class.

• 1986

  Aoba Tosho Co. established.

• 1978

  Chitose dispatch center expanded.

• 1973

  Tokyo branch building completed in Minami-Otsuka, Toshima ward.

• 1972

  Head-office building completed in Kitahonjo, Fukuyama.

• 1971

  Began publishing social-studies reference collections.

• 1969

  Entered the teaching-materials and tools business with a new materials division.

• 1968

  Began publishing calculation drills.

• 1966

  Chitose dispatch center completed; launched kanji drills, music workbooks and social-studies blank maps.

• 1965

  Joined the Japan Educational Book Materials Association; began publishing Japanese, arithmetic, science and social studies tests.

• 1964

  Tokyo branch opened.

• 1963

  Osaka branch opened.

• 1961

  Aoba Publishing Co.,Ltd. founded in Fukuyama, Hiroshima by Hideo Murakami (December 15).

A long-established, family-run Japanese publisher focused on elementary-school print materials that has extended into digital teaching content and AI-assisted school administration support.

• Shukudai Purinto (homework sheets)

• Kakikata (writing)

• ○-nen no shiage (year-end review)

• Natsuyasumi no shukudai (summer-holiday homework)

• Kanji drill

• Calculation drill

• Social-studies reference collection

• Repeated kanji and calculation drills (long format)

• Denim calligraphy bags 'Cute' and 'Beat'

• Cloth-bag handy sewing kit

• Pre-Test

• Kanji drill notebook / calculation drill notebook

• Smanabi digital teaching material

• AI所見文例 / AI学校文書

1. 1青葉出版 公式サイトaob.co.jp
2. 2会社概要 - 青葉出版aob.co.jp
3. 3青葉出版の歴史 - 青葉出版aob.co.jp
4. 4会社情報 - 青葉出版aob.co.jp
5. 5Aoba Publishing Co.,Ltd. - Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6青葉出版 - Wikipediaja.wikipedia.org