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TOKYO -- Media conglom Kadokawa Group Holdings on July 1 will take a 15% stake in Amusement Media Academy (AMG), a private school that trains animators, game designers, comic artists, voice actors and other creatives at campuses in Tokyo and Osaka.

Kadokawa GHD's core biz is publishing, but it has expanded aggressively into pic and toon production as well as other media-related fields. It has not, however, invested substantially in training until now.

The tie-up will make AMG's courses more attractive to current and potential students, who will have new chances to use their skills in real-world settings, as well as find employment.

AMG and Kadokawa GDH also plan to cooperate in toon production.�Kadokawa has no inhouse production unit, instead outsourcing its toon slate.�AMG, however, has strong ties with Pierrot, a Tokyo-based shingle that makes the hit toons "Bleach," "Blue Dragon" and "Naruto."

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