Hiroyuki Hijikata

Yuteki Hayashi, a disciple of the renowned Japanese educator Yukichi Fukuzawa, founded Maruzen in 1869, as Japan was ushering in an age of modernization, to contribute to the nation’s prosperity in commerce & trade. Since then, Maruzen has not only engaged in the importing of academic books from Europe & the U.S. as a pioneer of introducing Western knowledge & culture to Japan, but by importing & popularizing all manner of high-end products, such as importing the fountain pen, the Burberry raincoat & the typewriter for the first time to Japan, it has gradually established the Maruzen brand. Even today in the 21st century, through the network of 22 sales offices dedicated to university researchers & libraries, as well as around 50 retail outlets, the company shall make every effort to contribute to the advancement of Japan’s wealth of knowledge by “Lighting the ways to knowledge.”

BOOKOFF Corp. Ltd. engages in the operation of second-hand bookshops. It operates through the following segments: Reuse Store, BOOKOFF Online, Hugall, and Others. The Reuse Store segment handles the operations of BOOKOFF, BOOKOFF SUPER BAZAAR, and BOOKOFF PLUS stores, which sells reused products and materials such as books, software, apparel, sporting goods, baby supplies, and watches. The BOOKOFF Online segment manages the operation of BOOKOFF Online, an Internet based reuse shops. The Hugall segment purchases other types of merchandise in addition to the usual items. The Others segment includes the planning, design, and construction of stores. The company was founded by Takashi Sakamoto on May 4, 1990 and is headquartered in Sagamihara, Japan.