Asahi Shimbun Co. said Monday it incurred a group net loss of ¥1.98 billion in the April-September period, against a net profit of ¥275 million a year earlier, due to a decline in newspaper circulation and advertising after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
Sales edged up 0.4 percent to ¥229.60 billion, marking the first increase in seven years, however, as the publisher of the major daily made one of its flier companies into a consolidated subsidiary.
On an unconsolidated basis, the company reported a 4.0 percent decline in sales to ¥151.04 billion and a net loss of ¥3.84 billion, an increase from ¥855 million a year earlier.