SAITAMA CITY -- Ogawa Studio Co., well known for its production of rubber masks depicting politicians, will end the acceptance of orders at the end of September and stop production within the year.
The Saitama City-based producer of masks and costumes has seen its sales decline by about 40% because the number of masquerade-style events, such as those for Halloween, has decreased due to the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The company judged that it would be impossible to recover from the sales drop under the current circumstances.
Ogawa Studio, founded in 1905, manufactured rubber balloons and other products, and began to produce masks for characters such as zombies about 50 years ago. The company has also produced masks of famous faces since the 1990s.
The mask depicting former U.S. President Donald Trump was a big hit, selling about 20,000 copies.
President Nao Tanaka, 61, said: "The coronavirus pandemic has dealt the finishing blow to our business. I'll be glad if people who have our masks will preserve them carefully with their memories."
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