Nikkei Ad Booklet Circulation Inflation Costs Tens of Millions Yen

Nikkei Inc., a Japanese newspaper publisher, has admitted to overcharging two companies for advertising fees in its The Nikkei Magazine booklet. The misconduct involved inflating circulation numbers by about 15,000 to 250,000 copies per issue and charging accordingly.

The incorrect figures were presented to the advertisers over 29 issues distributed between 2022 and 2026 in the Tokyo metropolitan area and the Kansai western Japan region. This resulted in an overstated circulation of around 2.5 million copies over four years.

The employees involved also distributed the booklet outside the designated areas, further deceiving the advertisers.