Toei Animation Co. will soon distribute via the Internet the latest episodes of the popular "Galaxy Express 999" animated series by cartoonist Reiji Matsumoto in a tieup with Yahoo Japan Corp., Japan's largest search engine, according to Toei officials.
The service will be available at Yahoo Japan's Web site, starting at 9 a.m. Sept. 9, the officials said.
Toei will produce six new 13-minute stories in the series and distribute two per month. Viewers will need to pay 500 per story or 2,400 in a lump sum for the six stories.
In another development, Yoshimoto Kogyo Co. will air live comic talk contests on the Internet in September and October, Yoshimoto officials said.
The shows can be viewed free of charge at a Web site operated by Tokyo Telecommunication Network Co. (TTNet) on Sept. 15 and 21 and Oct. 6, the entertainment company said.