japannews.yomiuri, By Tsukuru Ikeda / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer, August 17, 2026
Chigusa Ogino, an adviser at copyright agency Tuttle-Mori Agency, Inc., has been selected as the recipient of the Manga Publishing Hall of Fame Award at the 2026 American Manga Awards, in recognition of her role in bridging the gap between publishers worldwide and Japanese rights-holders.
The awards honor experts who have contributed to the popularity of manga in North America and Japan. The awards were established in 2024 and are co-hosted by the U.S. nonprofit organization Japan Society and Anime NYC, an anime and manga convention on the U.S. East Coast. The awards recognize behind-the-scenes professionals involved in translation and licensing. In explaining the selection, the organizers noted that Ogino, 66, helped propel manga into one of the top-selling book categories in North America.
Ogino lived in London and West Germany as a child and joined Tokyo-based Tuttle-Mori in 1987 after completing her graduate studies at International Christian University. She served as secretary to then-President Takeshi Mori and was responsible for introducing British and American mystery novels to Japanese publishers. “I was able to learn, word for word, right by his side, how the president negotiated with overseas publishers,” she said.
A watershed moment came in the early 1990s when a request to publish a Spanish-language edition of “Dragon Ball” arrived. Publishing Japanese manga overseas was uncharted territory at the time. Books were published left-to-right, like American comics, and the illustrations were reversed (mirrored). When a request followed from Germany, Ogino firmly conveyed the wishes of the author, Akira Toriyama, and secured approval for right-to-left binding, just like in Japan. “The German [company’s] acceptance of right-to-left binding helped us persuade publishers in other countries [to do the same] when publishing manga there,” Ogino said.
Ogino’s goal has always been to maximize the author’s profits. Rather than siding with publishers, Tuttle-Mori firmly resists any attempts to underestimate the royalties owed to authors. “We are the strongest advocates for writers and creators,” she explained.
In addition to handling numerous works from publishers such as Shueisha Inc. and Square Enix Holdings Co., Tuttle-Mori has produced the Chinese-language edition of the animated picture book version of “My Neighbor Totoro” and the French-language edition of works by Kazuo Kamimura, who was considered an “ukiyo-e painter of Showa era” (1926-1989). The company’s manga division currently handles 36 languages and does business with 200 overseas publishers and 160 domestic rights-holders. “I want to continue helping Japanese authors to reach international audiences,” Ogino said with a smile.
