OSAKA -- The mass-circulation daily Sankei Shimbun said Wednesday it will stop publishing the Osaka Shimbun, an affiliate evening newspaper, on March 31.

Sankei plans to absorb the editorial department of the Osaka Shimbun to work on its evening edition published in the Kansai area, it said.

The Osaka Shimbun, launched in 1922, has an official circulation of 440,000 in the Kinki and Hokuriku regions.

Sankei Shimbun President Takehiko Kiyohara told a news conference circulation of the evening paper has declined due to a decrease in commuters, its major readership, and it has a difficult time securing advertising revenue.