Top 10 manga (1/09) according to Tohan:

1. To-LOVE-Ru (7)
2. Koukou Debut (High School Debut) (10)
3. Pyuu to Fuku! Jaguar (14)
4. Mx0 (7)
5. Fullmetal Alchemist (18)
6. Ookiku Furikabutte (9)
7. Shin Say Hello to Black Jack (3)
8. Eensy-Weensy Monster (2)
9. One Piece (48)
10. Sengoku (15)

Additional Rankings:

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Kouji Kumeta is known for the manga Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, which was adapted into an anime last year and is currently serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shounen Magazine.

In chapter 118 of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Kumeta wrote:

"if Jump SQ shows intention to collaborate, I may consider creating a new fantasy manga for it."

Since then, rumors and discussions about a new Kumeta manga on Shueisha's Jump SQ have been steadily heating up.

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Ichijinsha's Comic Yurihime, a successor publication to Sun Magazine's Yuri Shimai, has always been an "add-on" magazine to Ichijinsha's own ZERO-SUM.

Starting with Comic Yurihime Vol.11, onsale 1/18, Comic Yurihime will finally become its own magazine.

To celebrate, Comic Yurihime's editorial department has planned various treats. Aside from special covers and a "Petit Yurihime" booklet that will come with Comic Yurihime Vol.11, there will also be special collaboration series between Comic Yurihime, Comic Yurihime S and Yurihime Wildrose.

Source: Akiba Blog

From Comics212's Christopher Butcher comes a pictorial report of the Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum in Takarazuka, Japan. More photos can be found here.

Via: MangaBlog

From Weekly Jump Readers' Journal comes an article feature titled "WSJ Illustrated Guide: pt. 2 (1980-1984)," Part 2 of a 6-part series of articles that look at important Shonen Jump serializations, with a focus on titles that were adapted into anime.

Takehiko Inoue (mangaka of Slam Dunk and Vagabond) will be hosting a manga exhibition "Final Exhibition" at the Ueno Royal Museum from late May to early July. Promotion for the exhibition can be found here.

Source: Manga Jouhou

From Weekly Jump Readers' Journal comes an article feature titled "WSJ Illustrated Guide: pt. 1 (1968-1979)," Part 1 of a 6-part series of articles that look at important Shonen Jump serializations, with a focus on titles that were adapted into anime.

Saki Okuse (Legend of Zipangu BLOOD SUCKER) will begin a new series titled Doro Neko 9 (ドロねこ９) in the March issue (1/30) of Gentosha's Monthly Comic Birz.

Shueisha has released new information on the Winter 2008 edition (1/12) of its Akamaru Jump. The issue will carry the final chapter of Tatsuma Ejiri's P2! -let's Play Pingpong!-, as well as many one-shots, omakes and posters. Weekly Jump has the details.

Violinist of Hameln creator Michiaki Watanabe will start a new series titled Violinist of Hameln ~Shchelkunchik~ (ハーメルンのバイオリン弾き ～シェルクンチク～) in Square Enix's Young Gangan No.3 (1/18).

Iwasawa Masahiro, mangaka of Let's Play Baseball!, will start a new series titled Let's Play More Baseball! (もっと野球しようぜ！) in the February issue of Akita Shoten's Monthly Shonen Champion.

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The Daily Yomiuri comes an article titled "THROUGH OTAKU EYES / Don't hop to conclusions about manga's scroll 'origins'," which takes a brief look at the early history of Japanese manga:

In 1924, Yuzankaku Press published Nippon Manga-shi by illustrator and manga creator Seiki Hosokibara (1885-1958). In the book, Hosokibara "discovered" that another national treasure scroll, titled "Shigisan Engi Emaki," was the actual "origin" of manga.

Via: ANN

ANN reports that Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs is planning to expand its outreach program to an wider audience this year to spread manga, anime, and other elements of Japanese popular culture:

The Japanese government already supports 10 overseas Japanese-language learning centers with about 3,000 students, but those will expand to 100 to 200 centers in the next three years. 210 million yen (about US$1.8 million) is being allocated to add 70 of those additional centers this year.