Sakumaseika's beloved Sakuma Drops are perhaps best known to people outside of Japan for their appearance in the 1988 animated film 'Grave of the Fireflies'. - Reuters
TOKYO (Bloomberg): Sakumaseika Co, the Japanese confectioner whose candy drops featured in the Studio Ghibli film Grave of the Fireflies, is calling it quits after 114 years due to soaring costs and a pandemic-induced fall in sales.
The Tokyo-based company will end operations on Jan 20, a spokeswoman said by phone, attributing the closure to rising raw material and energy prices as well as staff-hiring challenges. The unlisted company had a net loss of 152 million yen (RM4.9mil) in the fiscal year ended September 2021, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
