Sunday Mainichi

Sunday Mainichi (サンデー毎日) is a Japanese weekly magazine published by Mainichi Shimbun Publishing Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Mainichi Newspapers Co., Ltd. First launched in 1922 as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper, it is one of Japan's oldest weekly magazines, having debuted alongside Weekly Asahi. The magazine is known for its hard-hitting, serious journalism, featuring investigative scoops on politics, economics, and social issues. It is released every Tuesday and priced at 660 yen (tax included). Beyond news, Sunday Mainichi has a strong tradition in education coverage, particularly its annual special issues listing university entrance exam results by high school, a feature that began in 1965. It also serializes novels, essays, and columns by prominent writers and critics. Over its long history, the magazine has broken major stories, including the 1989 scoop on Prime Minister Sosuke Uno's extramarital affair, which contributed to his resignation, and early critical reporting on the Aum Shinrikyo cult. It has also faced controversies, such as a 2008 article about Empress Michiko that drew a protest from the Imperial Household Agency. The magazine is currently published by Mainichi Shimbun Publishing, which was established on April 1, 2015, when the publishing division of The Mainichi Newspapers was spun off into a separate company. The current president is Shuji Yamamoto. Sunday Mainichi remains a prominent voice in Japanese weekly journalism, with a YouTube channel and various digital initiatives.

Sunday Mainichi was first published on April 2, 1922, by Osaka Mainichi Shimbun (now Mainichi Shimbun Osaka Head Office) to commemorate the completion of its new headquarters building in Dojima, Osaka. It was founded by Motoyama Hikoichi, along with other publications such as Tenji Mainichi and Eigo Mainichi. The inaugural issue was in tabloid format, with 4 gravure pages and 24 text pages, priced at 10 sen. The cover featured a photo of the Peace Memorial Tokyo Exposition held in Ueno that year. The first issue had a print run of 340,000 copies, though about 30% were distributed free, resulting in actual sales of around 230,000. In 1925, the magazine published Japan's first crossword puzzle. From 1926, it ran the "Taishu Bungei Sho" (Popular Literature Award), which launched the careers of writers such as Kazuo Dan, Chogoro Kaionji, Yasushi Inoue, and others. The award continued until 1959, and from 1960 became the "Sunday Mainichi Novel Award." During World War II, from February 1943, due to restrictions on enemy language (English), the magazine was temporarily published as "Shukan Mainichi" (Weekly Mainichi). It reverted to "Sunday Mainichi" from the January 1946 issue after the war ended. In 1965, it began publishing lists of university entrance exam success by high school. From 1976, it started publishing the full names of successful University of Tokyo applicants, but this ended after the 2000 entrance exams when the university stopped releasing names due to privacy concerns. The magazine also published special issues for events such as the National High School Baseball Championship and the Inter-City Baseball Tournament. From September 15, 1963, to June 13, 1965, it serialized Yasuko Yamazaki's novel "Shiroi Kyoto" (The Great White Tower), which was later adapted into films and TV dramas. On April 1, 2015, the publishing division of The Mainichi Newspapers was transferred to a new wholly owned subsidiary, Mainichi Shimbun Publishing, and magazines including Sunday Mainichi began to be published by the new company. In May 2023, when Weekly Asahi ceased publication, the June 11 issue of Sunday Mainichi featured a cover noting "Dedicated to the discontinuation of Weekly Asahi! Goodbye... 101 years of comrade and rival" and included an article on magazine culture. In July 2026, when SPA! under Sankei Shimbun became a biweekly publication, Sunday Mainichi became the only weekly magazine affiliated with a newspaper company. Over the years, the magazine has broken numerous scoops, including the 1989 exposé of Prime Minister Sosuke Uno's affair with a geisha, which contributed to his resignation and the Liberal Democratic Party's defeat in the House of Councillors election that year. It also pioneered critical reporting on Aum Shinrikyo in 1989, which led to threats against the magazine and its editor. In 2008, an article about Empress Michiko drew a protest from the Imperial Household Agency for containing inaccuracies.

• 2026

  Became the only weekly magazine affiliated with a newspaper company after SPA! changed frequency.

• 2023

  Featured a cover dedicated to the discontinuation of Weekly Asahi.

• 2015

  Publishing operations transferred to Mainichi Shimbun Publishing, a wholly owned subsidiary.

• 2008

  Received protest from Imperial Household Agency over an article about Empress Michiko.

• 2000

  Stopped publishing University of Tokyo successful applicant names due to privacy concerns.

• 1989

  Scooped the Sosuke Uno affair; began critical reporting on Aum Shinrikyo.

• 1976

  Began publishing full names of successful University of Tokyo applicants.

• 1965

  Started publishing university entrance exam results by high school.

• 1963

  Began serializing Yasuko Yamazaki's novel Shiroi Kyoto.

• 1960

  The literary award was renamed Sunday Mainichi Novel Award.

• 1946

  Reverted to the name Sunday Mainichi from the January issue.

• 1943

  Temporarily renamed Shukan Mainichi due to wartime restrictions on English.

• 1926

  Launched the Taishu Bungei Sho (Popular Literature Award).

• 1925

  Published Japan's first crossword puzzle.

• 1922

  First published on April 2 as a commemorative project for the 50th anniversary of Mainichi Shimbun.

Hard-hitting, serious weekly news magazine with a focus on political scoops and educational content.

• Sunday Mainichi weekly magazine

  Weekly news magazine published every Tuesday, priced at 660 yen.

• University entrance exam special issues

  Annual special issues listing university entrance exam results by high school.

• Serialized novels and columns

  Features serialized novels, essays, and columns by prominent writers.

1. 1サンデー毎日 | 毎日新聞出版mainichibooks.com
2. 2会社案内 | 毎日新聞出版mainichibooks.com
3. 3著作権について | 毎日新聞出版mainichibooks.com
4. 4Sunday Mainichi - Wikidatawikidata.org
5. 5サンデー毎日 - Wikipediaja.wikipedia.org