Japanese Publishing Industry Summary 1. Market Overview
Industrial Report (C) JETRO Japan Economic Monthly, July 2005 Japanese Publishing Industry Japanese Economy Division Summary In 2004, Japan's publishing industry reversed course to show an increase in book sales due to the release of several million-sellers. The aggressive use of a marketing technique known as "media-mix" along with comprehensive publicity and advertising programs are credited with this development. While Japan's publishing industry has traditionally consisted of publishing firms, distribution agencies and retail stores, the emergence of the Internet has spawned new forms and channels of publishing. Other significant developments in the publishing industry include the increased popularity of Japanese comic books and magazines overseas. 1. Market Overview The All Japan Magazine and Book Publishers’ and Editors’ Association estimates publication sales in 2004 at 2,242.8 billion yen, a 0.7% increase over the previous year and the first such increase in eight years. Books accounted for 942.9 billion yen, a 4.1% increase over last year, while magazines only registered 1,299.8 billion yen, a decrease of 1.7% (Fig. 1). Several million-sellers created a bright spot in the 2004 sales figures although the weeklies led the slide in magazine figures. Fig. 1 Estimated Value of Publication Sales (billion yen) 3,000 Books Magazines 2,590 2,657 2,637 2,542 2,461 2,397 2,228 2,500 2,325 2,311 2,243 2,000 1,564 1,467 1,379 1,563 1,532 1,300 1,500 1,543 1,426 1,362 1,322 1,000 1,073 994 946 906 1,093 500 1,010 943 1,047 971 949 0 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 Sources: Figs 1-3, 5 and 6 were compiled from the Research Institute for Publications' "Annual Report of Publishing Indicators" The estimated number of publications sold was 3,720.7 billion, 1.9% less than the previous year, the ninth consecutive year of decline.
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