Toko-Ai

Toko-Ai Co., Ltd. (株式会社とうこう・あい) is a Japanese company headquartered in Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, that operates at the intersection of advertising, publishing and technology. Founded in 1948 as Toko-Sha (株式会社東弘社), it began as an advertising agency specializing in advertisements for scholarly and specialist books, including science, engineering and social-science titles. Over the decades it grew alongside the Japanese publishing industry, and in 2002 it changed its corporate name to Toko-Ai Co., Ltd. The company describes its business as a "trinity" of three closely linked sections: Publishing, Advertising and Technology. In publishing, it supports publishers and works with media companies; in advertising, it leverages editorial expertise for promotion; and in technology, it develops systems and websites for the publishing industry and beyond. Its stated vision is to combine "tradition and innovation" as a professional group built around "advertising × publishing × technology." Toko-Ai's technology arm grew out of a related company, Flying Line Co., Ltd. (株式会社フライングライン), established in 2006 to research and develop new advertising methods using technology and to build web services specialized for publishing. The company has developed web services and systems for publishers, including the ordering system "BookCellar," and has produced corporate and event websites for clients such as Jiyukokuminsha, the Japan Publishing Industry Foundation for Culture (JPIC) and Jitsugyo no Nihonsha. Toko-Ai remains a private company with stated capital of 60 million yen. Its representative director and president is Hiroaki Kanegae, who became president in 2018 after serving as president of Flying Line. The company positions itself as a long-established specialist in book advertising that has expanded into general advertising, publishing-related system development and new media, and it frames its activities in terms of contributing to the SDGs through revitalizing publishing and the content industry.

Toko-Ai Co., Ltd. was founded on April 10, 1948, as Toko-Sha Co., Ltd. (株式会社東弘社), an advertising agency specializing in advertisements for scholarly and specialist books in fields such as science, engineering and social science. The company grew alongside the Japanese publishing industry, and by 1996, when Japanese publication sales peaked at approximately 2.65 trillion yen, its business had expanded steadily. In 2002, the company changed its name to Toko-Ai Co., Ltd. (株式会社とうこう・あい). In 2006, it established a related company, Flying Line Co., Ltd. (株式会社フライングライン), to research and develop new advertising methods using technology and to begin developing web services specialized for publishing. This marked the company's expansion into the technology sector. In 2018, Hiroaki Kanegae, who had been president of Flying Line, became president of Toko-Ai. Under his leadership, the company has continued to develop publishing-related systems and websites, and has expanded into general advertising and new media. The company's stated management philosophy is to be a company with "ai" (love), loving all people involved, and its vision is to contribute to social development as a professional group based on "advertising × publishing × technology" with "tradition and innovation" as two wheels. Today, Toko-Ai operates three closely linked sections—Publishing, Advertising and Technology—and provides services including advertising planning and production for newspapers, magazines, TV, radio and the internet; signage and transit advertising; sales promotion; exhibitions and events; printing; new media development; and web services and systems for publishers. It also produces corporate and event websites for clients such as Jiyukokuminsha, the Japan Publishing Industry Foundation for Culture (JPIC) and Jitsugyo no Nihonsha.

• 2025

  Produced websites for Jiyukokuminsha corporate site (December), JPIC TOKYO RIGHTS MEETING (November), and Jitsugyo no Nihonsha's "Tonari no Kyoudai" science puzzle project (September).

• 2018

  Hiroaki Kanegae, former president of Flying Line, becomes president of Toko-Ai.

• 2006

  Related company Flying Line Co., Ltd. (株式会社フライングライン) established; begins developing web services specialized for publishing.

• 2002

  Company name changed to Toko-Ai Co., Ltd. (株式会社とうこう・あい).

• 1996

  Japanese publication sales peak at approximately 2.65 trillion yen; company grows with the industry.

• 1948

  Founded as Toko-Sha Co., Ltd. (株式会社東弘社), an advertising agency specializing in scholarly and specialist book advertising.

A long-established specialist in book advertising that combines tradition and innovation across advertising, publishing and technology.

• BookCellar

  Ordering system for the publishing industry; top screen renewed in 2026.

• Publishing-industry web services

  Web services and systems developed for publishers.

1. 1株式会社とうこう・あい 公式サイトtoko-ai.com
2. 2企業情報 - 株式会社とうこう・あいtoko-ai.com
3. 3Toko-Ai - Wikidatawikidata.org