Short answers, pulled from the story.
Kodansha was founded in 1909 by Seiji Noma as a spin-off of the Greater Japan Oratorical Society to serve as a voice for the spoken word. The company launched its first publication, the literary magazine Yūben, in that same year before formally adopting the name Kodansha in 1911.
Kodansha transformed into the largest manga publisher in Japan by launching Weekly Shōnen Magazine in 1959 and Monthly Shōnen Magazine in 1975. The company maintained its leadership position with revenues of ¥167 billion in the 2003 financial year, surpassing its closest rival Shogakukan by over ¥50 billion at its peak.
Kodansha USA began issuing new publications in September 2012 under the leadership of Kentaro Tsugumi. The company also launched its digital distribution service K Manga in the United States on the 10th of May 2023, which expanded to over 30 countries by the 24th of June 2025.
The October 2000 issue of Kodansha's magazine Gendai accused NHK of staging footage used in a 1997 news report on dynamite fishing in Indonesia. The Tokyo District Court ordered Kodansha to publish a retraction and pay ¥4 million in damages, but the company appealed and reached a settlement requiring only a partial retraction and no damages.
Kodansha presents the Noma Prize for Literature, the Yoshikawa Eiji Prize for Literature, and the Kodansha Manga Awards, which has run since 1977. The company also awards the Kodansha Honda Yasuharu Non-Fiction Award and the Kodansha Science Publication Award to foster talent across various genres.