The monthlies Takarajima and CUTiE, two magazines that once led Japan's youth culture, are publishing their last editions next month, with shrinking circulations to blame.
Their publisher, Takarajimasha Inc., announced Wednesday that both "have completed their mission as magazines to define an era and provide new sets of values."
Takarajima was launched in 1974. Its first editors included Jinichi Uekusa, a critic known for introducing foreign culture to Japan.
In the 1980s, the magazine often featured Japanese musicians such as Kiyoshiro Imawano and Yellow Magic Orchestra. It also covered controversial topics, including taboos in the media, which proved popular among its readers.
CUTiE, founded in 1989, is a women's fashion magazine and was a catalyst for a street fashion boom among young people.
The magazine led its rivals in launching "street snaps," a popular item in fashion magazines of showing pictures of ordinary people on the streets with eye-catching style.
Kyoko Okazaki, a manga artist with a cult following, also ran serial comics in CUTiE.