Japanese Bookstores Collaborating with Libraries for Survival

Tokyo, Dec. 30 (Jiji Press)--While bookstores are increasingly closing in Japan due to the expansion of online shopping, some have started to work with libraries for survival.

The government plans to support such collaboration by starting a survey in fiscal 2025 from April in response to concerns over the current situation in which libraries own multiple copies of the same book, a factor behind sluggish book sales. Based on the result, an expert panel of the education ministry will discuss measures to address the situation.

According to the Japan Publishing Organization for Information Infrastructure Development, the number of bookstores nationwide fell from 15,602 in fiscal 2013 to 10,918 in fiscal 2023. A survey by the Japan Publishing Industry Foundation for Culture found that 493 municipalities, or 28 pct of the total, had no bookstores as of November 2024.

"Children may grow up without encountering various books," Shuichi Matsuki, a senior official of the foundation, said, expressing concern that places where local people can access a wide range of content are disappearing.

While sales of paper publications are falling, there is a bookstore operator that has managed to increase the number of customers through cooperation with local libraries.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]