It would appear that at some point in 2009 the Japanese publishers Shogakukan & Shueisha will begin publishing their products in Europe directly. They plan to commence publishing in France first, then expanding to the UK, Spain & other EU countries. This doesn't mean that they'll be cutting Viz Media out of the picture, as Viz is owned by both Shogakukan & Shueisha, who in turn are both part of the larger Hitotsubashi Group & Viz Europe was recently relocated from Amsterdam in the Netherland to Paris, France.

But what does this mean for the various companies whose catalogue is filled with Shogakukan & Shueisha manga, Kana, Glènat España, Carlsen Comics & the German branch of Tokyopop? Combined with the announcement that Publishing Giant Kodansha will begin publishing direct to the US market from next month, one can only speculate what this will mean for the future of the Manga Market.