Vitalization of Bookstores: Expand Opportunities for People to Encounter Books
The government has announced a plan to vitalize bookstores. To reduce the high rate of unsold newly released books and magazines returned to publishers, which is said to be one of the causes of rising book distribution costs, the government will hold study sessions together with people related to the industry and aim to improve the operational efficiency of bookstores through the widespread use of IC tags.
In addition, the government, across its ministries and agencies, intends to support bookstores through such means as strengthening efforts to lower fees for cashless payments, which are a heavy burden on bookstores, and encouraging people to open new stores.
The gross profit margin rate for bookstores remains at around 20%. Due to the delay in digitalization, some bookstores are unable to manage sales and inventory the way they want to. Although the efforts of the bookstores themselves, of course, are necessary, the hope is that the government and the industry will deepen cooperation and do their utmost to work to resolve these issues.
The number of bookstores is rapidly decreasing in many parts of the country, and the number of municipalities without a single bookstore has increased to more than a quarter of the total. There are many municipalities without bookstores in rural areas, and in some cases there are no libraries in those locations either. This is a serious problem that could lead to a 'knowledge gap' with urban areas.
In some foreign countries, central governments are actively involved in promoting bookstores. France has introduced a 'Culture Pass' system for young people to support the purchase of books and other cultural activities. Germany has established a system to award small bookstores that have special characteristics, among other efforts.
It cannot be said that the measures taken by the government in Japan to protect print culture and the reading environment have been sufficient so far.
In February this year, The Yomiuri Shimbun and Kodansha Ltd. announced a joint proposal aimed at promoting bookstores. The government's plan is in line with the content of this proposal. It is hoped that all parties involved will share a sense of urgency and work to enhance the vitality of bookstores so they will not disappear.
Unlike online bookstores, bookstores in towns offer the chance to encounter an unexpected book. While browsing the shelves of a bookstore in a field in which you have little interest, you may become curious about a book and pick it up, which could later change your life.
Bookstores also play a major role as a distribution center for the 'content industry,' which includes manga and anime. Japanese manga and anime are highly regarded overseas, and many overseas fans come to Japan to make 'pilgrimages' to places where stories and scenes are set. The decline in the number of bookstores could lead to the loss of the function of bringing new works to the world.
The growing trend of people moving away from reading books is serious. According to a survey by the Cultural Affairs Agency, 60% of respondents said they do not read even one book a month. It is also necessary to devise ways to increase the number of people who read books, such as by providing opportunities for people to become familiar with books with the help of picture book specialists and instructors who guide people in reading aloud.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, June 11, 2025)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yomiuri Shimbun
a few seconds ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japanese Businesses Expanding Space-Related Operations; Government Making Plans to Increase Public Support
An increasing number of companies in Japan are making efforts to strengthen their operations related to outer space. This striking trend includes automakers, banks and other businesses with no prior connections to space. Startups are also joining the field one after another. However, competition is increasingly fierce, and for now the United States and China are the frontrunners. Japanese companies in the field will not flourish without cooperation between the public and private sectors. New possibilities In June, Honda Motor Co. became the first private company in Japan to successfully launch and land a reusable small rocket. To do this, the company used technology it had cultivated for projects such as developing self-driving vehicles. Honda R&D Co., a subsidiary of the automaker, was in charge of research and development of the reusable rocket. In an address given in Tokyo on July 8, Honda R&D President Keiji Otsu said emphatically, 'Space is a place of new possibilities.' Major companies in such fields as telecommunications and financial services are enhancing their space-related operations, and a growing number of startups are entering the field. According to research by the Spacetide Foundation, a general incorporated entity for promotion of space development, the number of startups in the space development field in 2025 was 109, an increase of about 40% from three years ago. ¥260 trillion market With space being used more and more in fields such as national security and telecommunications, related industries are expected to grow rapidly. The global market size for space businesses is predicted to exceed ¥260 trillion in 2035, about triple what it was in 2023. According to the Cabinet Office, the number of rocket launches conducted by the United States in 2024 was 153, while China had 66, putting those two countries at the head of the pack for use of space-related technology. Japan conducted only five launches last year. Many of the American rocket launches were for commercial purposes, as more than half were made by Elon Musk's company SpaceX, which uses reusable rockets to minimize costs. Cost and speed vital One issue that Japanese companies face is the high cost of conducting rocket launches. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. aims to bring the cost of launching a rocket down to about ¥5 billion — half what it has been up to now — with its new primary rocket model, the H3, which it developed in cooperation with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The government's Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform, approved by the Cabinet in June, stipulates that the nation's space development policies should be enhanced. It sets a goal of boosting the size of the domestic market to ¥8 trillion in the first half of the 2030s, double what it was in 2020. A senior official of an economy-related government entity pointed out that victory in space development goes to whoever is fastest. Thus whether Japan wins or loses in this field will come down to the speed at which projects can be commercialized. Spacetide's Representative Director Masayasu Ishida said, 'Many countries all over the world, not just the major ones, are trying to cultivate space-related industries. It is essential also for Japan to stimulate demand and acquire human resources, technologies and investment.'
Nikkei Asia
an hour ago
- Nikkei Asia
North American investors quadruple Japan stock purchases in 1st half
The Tokyo Stock Exchange saw an influx of foreign investment in the first half of the year. (Photo by Yuki Kohara) AKIRA INUJIMA TOKYO -- Value-hunting North American investors sharply raised their bets on the Japanese stock market in the first half of the year as they sought to diversify their portfolios away from the U.S. North American investors bought 835.4 billion yen ($5.62 billion) worth of Japanese equities on a net basis from January to June, four times the year-earlier level, according to data released by the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Friday.
Nikkei Asia
3 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
Japan's Ishiba says Bessent confident of 'good' tariff deal
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo on July 18. (Photo by Uichiro Kasai) SATOSHI TEZUKA TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday called for more talks with the U.S on a tariff deal after meeting here with President Donald Trump's treasury chief, Scott Bessent, seeking to clinch an agreement after a weekend parliamentary election. Bessent said during the meeting that a "good deal" was definitely possible, Ishiba told reporters afterward.
