Popteen is a monthly teenage fashion magazine published by the Kadokawa Haruki Corporation in Japan. The first issue was published October 1, 1980, by Kadokawa Shoten, but later issues were produced by Asuka Shinsha who bought the magazine for 200 million yen. In 1994, the magazine was bought by the Kadokawa Haruki Corporation for 600 million yen, and has since become its flagship publication.
Popteen is one of Asia's top fashion magazines. The magazine is published in Japan and Taiwan, and has recently launched a web presence in the United States.
Japanese magazine's 'cover queen' is Ayumi Hamasaki, who has been featured on the cover 21 times since 2000. Other artists that appeared on the cover include Kumi Koda, Namie Amuro, Avril Lavigne, Britney Spears, Fergie and Gwen Stefani.
The magazine is famous for having a 'user-model business-model' where its readers become models in the magazine. It is notable for its coverage of Gyaru fashions. One of the most popular popteen models was Tsubasa Masuwaka who in December 2007 married Umesan Naoki, a male fashion model. She announced on her blog that she had graduated from Popteen and that the February 2008 issue would be her last.
