AsianWeek (which continues online) reports that Northern California’s oldest Japanese American newspaper, The Nichi Bei Times, plans to close effective Sept. 30 after 63 years in business.

Ken Abiko, board chairman of the Times, said a decline in circulation and advertising were chief reasons for the decision to close. The weekly paper’s circulation is around 8,000.

“Japanese American press are not seeing the same pickup that other ethnic presses are seeing, because immigration from Japan is limited, and the advertisers know that,” Abiko told AsianWeek.

Kenji G. Taguma, the Nichi Bei Times’ vice president and English edition editor, said he plans to launch a weekly nonprofit publication.