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Japan’s Gaga Corp Sold to Entertainment Firm Genda

Top Japanese indie film company Gaga Corporation has sold a controlling share of stake to Genda Inc, known as a trending entertainment company with a background in arcade gaming. By: Dylan Low

Genda buys over the 78% shareholding under Gaga chairman Tom Yoda’s T.Y. Limited company. Yoda will keep the remaining 22% in his own name and retain his role as Gaga’s chairman and representative director. The cost of the transaction has remained disclosed.

A new management structure is implemented, which sees Sato Yuzo, director and CCO of Genda, take charge as the representative director and president/CEO, and Kataoka Nao - founder, representative director and board chairman at Genda, taking up the role of board director at Gaga. Gaga’s other senior management has maintained their positions.

Founded in 1986, Gaga was acquired by T.Y. Limited as its majority owner. Today, it works as a producer, distributor and sales agent.

Under Yoda’s management of 15 years, Gaga has distributed seven Oscar best picture winners in Japan, namely CODA and Everything Everywhere All at Once, and four Palme d’Or award recipients consisting of Shoplifters and Anatomy of a Fall.

Gaga announces it is looking for extra diversification into anime production, international co-production, game and “character businesses derived from anime through omnidirectional windows including digital platform.”

Started four years ago, Genda has a sequence of acquisitions offering a major business of owning or operating some 260 amusement arcades, multiple under GiGO brand. Its other acquisitions have earned it a reputation in cinema advertising, popcorn, character design and VR content development.

Yoda mentioned, “Mr. Kataoka of Genda and I have established a close relationship since he became president and representative director of Aeon Entertainment in 2017. Exchanging business ideas and strategies, he seems to be inspired by my longtime experiences and networks in the entertainment business, including music, film, game, character, broadcast and manga. Having perfectly-matched vision and values, we are very excited to work with Genda to generate synergies for both companies,

“For the 40th anniversary of Gaga in 2026, we will keep going full throttle with the multi-portfolio strategy with Genda.”

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