Suken Shuppan
Japanese publisher of school textbooks, the long-running Chart-style study guides, and the Studyaid D.B. digital teaching database.
Last updated September 27, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Suken Shuppan Co., Ltd. (数研出版株式会社) is a Japanese educational publisher whose business centres on textbooks, study guides and problem books for schools and university-entrance preparation. Its roots go back to 1923, when the "Mathematics Research Society Higher Preparatory School" (数学研究社高等予備校) was founded in Kyoto; the modern company was incorporated in 1947 under the name Suken Shuppan and moved its head office to Tokyo in 1954. The company is best known for the "Chart-style" (チャート式) reference-book series, first published in 1926 with Chart-style Algebra and Chart-style Geometry by Hoshino Kakusui, which became its flagship line and has sold tens of millions of copies. Suken Shuppan publishes Ministry of Education–approved (MEXT-certified) textbooks for junior and senior high schools, supplementary problem books, reference works, exam-preparation materials and general-interest titles, as well as educational software. Its publisher number for MEXT-certified textbooks is 104, and it issues senior-high textbooks in six subjects: mathematics, science, English, civics, Japanese and information. It holds a leading share in mathematics textbooks and strong positions in physics and biology, and it entered junior-high mathematics textbooks in 2011. Beyond print, the company is known for the Studyaid D.B. series of school-oriented software, first released in 1996 and still being updated and expanded three decades later, alongside digital textbooks and the Suken AI Navi digital learning tool. It also runs teacher seminars (数研セミナー) and sells original goods. The company operates through subsidiaries including Gakko Tosho (学校図書), Chart Kenkyusho (チャート研究所), Suken Tosho (数研図書) and BS Shoseki Kanri, and it acquired Gakko Tosho from Tosho Printing in 2021. It remains a private, family-and-management-run Japanese publisher focused on the domestic education market.
History
Suken Shuppan's history begins in 1923 with the founding in Kyoto of the "Mathematics Research Society Higher Preparatory School" (数学研究社高等予備校). In 1926 the school published Chart-style Algebra (チャート式代数学) and Chart-style Geometry (チャート式幾何学), both written by Hoshino Kakusui, launching the Chart-style series that would become the company's signature product line. The business was reorganised as a joint-stock company in 1947 and took the name Suken Shuppan Co., Ltd. (数研出版株式会社). In 1948 it began publishing MEXT-certified mathematics textbooks, and in 1954 it moved its head office to Tokyo. The company broadened beyond mathematics in the post-war decades: it launched a new Chart-style series for science in 1959 and began issuing MEXT-certified science textbooks in 1960. In 1996 it released the Studyaid D.B. series of school-oriented software, which became a long-running digital-teaching platform. In 2003 it added MEXT-certified information textbooks and obtained ISO 14001 environmental certification, followed by ISO 9001 quality certification in 2005. It entered Japanese-language (国語) certified textbooks in 2006 and junior-high mathematics certified textbooks in 2011, the same year it published collaboration titles with Yamakawa Publishing (もう一度読む数研の高校数学 and the chemistry volume). In 2013 the company issued a reprint of Chart-style Geometry, and in 2015 it merged with its subsidiary Chiken Shuppan (知研出版), established a Kanto branch in Kitasenju, Tokyo, and relocated its Kansai head office. In 2016, after it was revealed that it had shown textbooks under certification review to teachers and paid them honoraria, the company set up a compliance division. In 2021 it acquired shares in Gakko Tosho (学校図書) from Tosho Printing and made it a subsidiary. By the mid-2020s the company continued to update Studyaid D.B., which marked its 30th anniversary in 2026 with commemorative product sets, and to expand digital offerings such as digital textbooks and Suken AI Navi.
- 2026
Studyaid D.B. marked its 30th anniversary with commemorative product sets.
- 2021
Acquired Gakko Tosho shares from Tosho Printing and made it a subsidiary.
- 2016
Set up a compliance division after a textbook-review honoraria scandal.
- 2015
Merged with subsidiary Chiken Shuppan; established Kanto branch in Kitasenju; relocated Kansai head office.
- 2013
Published a reprint edition of Chart-style Geometry.
- 2011
Began publishing MEXT-certified junior-high mathematics textbooks; published collaboration titles with Yamakawa Publishing.
- 2006
Began publishing MEXT-certified Japanese-language textbooks.
- 2005
Obtained ISO 9001 quality management certification.
- 2003
Began publishing MEXT-certified information textbooks; obtained ISO 14001.
- 1996
Released the Studyaid D.B. school software series.
Products and positioning
A long-established Japanese educational publisher positioned around school textbooks and the Chart-style study-guide brand, with a growing digital-teaching portfolio.
Chart-style series (Red/Blue/Yellow/White Chart)
Flagship reference-book line first published in 1926; the Blue Chart (基礎からの) is among the best known.
4STEP
Mathematics supplementary problem book widely used in schools.
Sukuseed (サクシード)
Mathematics supplementary problem book.
Studyaid D.B.
School-oriented software/database series first released in 1996, with online and DVD-ROM editions.
Photo Science reference volumes
Illustrated reference volumes for physics, chemistry, biology and earth science.
Kokugo Binran (国語便覧)
Japanese-language reference handbooks such as Clear Color and Premium Color editions.
LEAP vocabulary book
English vocabulary book by Takenaga Hironobu (2018).
Sources6 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/suken-shuppan · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled