The Yomiuri Chukosei Shimbun
Summary
The Yomiuri Chukosei Shimbun is a newspaper published every Friday by The Yomiuri Shimbun. It was launched in November 2014 to target readers aged 12-18 who fall between readers of the The Yomiuri Shimbun and The Yomiuri KODOMO Shimbun, launched in 2011 for elementary school children. Designed to be like "a textbook that teaches teens about the world," The Yomiuri Chukosei Shimbun has over 30 diverse sections, including not only news but also sports, English tutorials, book reviews and entertainment stories.
The newspaper is printed completely in color, in tabloid size, with 24 pages. Featured news is explained using plenty of illustrations and diagrams, which makes it useful for reading with the family or for classes at school. Every issue features detailed coverage of professionals from various fields, in the hope that it will give young readers the opportunity to think about their future occupation. We have launched a free smartphone app called Yteen that provides a safe Internet environment for readers to interact and discuss issues. It also allows them to participate in The Yomiuri Chukosei Shimbun comments section and opinion polls. We have endeavored to create an interactive space for our readers.
In 2015, we were awarded a top editorial prize in the World Young Reader Prize competition by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).
Our subscription fee is ￥850 per month (including tax).
As of April 2021, the circulation of the newspaper is 88,345 (Japan Audit Bureau of Circulations report).
Page Guide
Point①News
Six pages are devoted to news. The news that we really want middle and high school students to know and think about appears on the front page with a large picture. These stories are then investigated further, with the help of diagrams, across a double-page spread on pages 2 and 3. Articles on page 4 to 6 capture the essence of major news stories and trending topics. A section on background information and a glossary for current events help young readers to understand the news.
Point②Feature
We publish a host of gripping articles, including detailed coverage of the work of professionals in various fields and reports in the manner of a serialized novel about middle and high school students heavily engaged in club activities. We cater to the broad tastes of our young readers with fashion coverage and book reviews. In our readers' column, celebrities reply to questions about teen struggles that readers upload via our dedicated app.
Point③Study
We offer various ways to help improve readers' academic performance, but in a style somewhat different from that of classes at school. We publish English comprehension questions based on articles from The Yomiuri Shimbun's daily English language newspaper The Japan News. One section focuses on Japanese characters, words and sayings that are often misunderstood and explains the correct meanings and origins.
Then-Yomiuri Chukosei Shimbun Editor Gessho Kobayashi receiving the top prize trophy for the editorial category in the World Young Reader Prize competition run by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).
(Sept. 3, 2015, Mumbai, India)
