Factbook

A Dynamic Compendium of Interesting Japanese Literary and Publishing Facts

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Japan’s first magazine, Seiyo-Zasshi, was launched in October 1867[UPDATED: 2-21-2018]

Seiyo-Zasshi, Japan’s first magazine was launched by Shunzo Yanagawa in October 1867. The magazine’s name means Western Magazine. The 10-page magazine, which consisted of a collection of translations of western scholarly articles, was published in booklet format, printed on Japanese paper, using woodblocks, with a… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- Industry
- Magazines
Japan’s first magazine, Seiyo-Zasshi, was launched in October 1867 Posted January 3rd, 2018 by Richard Nathan
Japan’s oldest continuously published magazines are Chuo-Koron and Toyo-Keizai launched in 1887 and 1895[UPDATED: 2-21-2018]

Toyo-Keizai is technically the oldest continuously published magazine in Japan. It was launched in 1895 as Toyo-Keizai-Shimpo, Oriental Economic News, modeling itself on The Economist, which was launched more than 50 years earlier, in September 1843. Ironically, unlike Toyo-Keizai, The Economist positioned itself as… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- Industry
- Magazines
Japan’s oldest continuously published magazines are Chuo-Koron and Toyo-Keizai launched in 1887 and 1895 Posted January 3rd, 2018 by Richard Nathan
It took Japan 20 years to sign up to the world’s first international copyright convention[UPDATED: 2-21-2018]

It took Japan 20 years, from its launch, to join the first multi-national agreement on copyright. Japanese officials attended the 1886 Berne Convention on Copyright in Switzerland, considered to be one of the most important milestone in intellectual property right protection, as an observer, as did… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- Copyright
- Industry
- Rights
It took Japan 20 years to sign up to the world’s first international copyright convention Posted January 3rd, 2018 by Richard Nathan
Japan has a popular product category (hybrid books and magazines) called Mukku[UPDATED: 2-21-2018]

The definition of a Mook is a: “publication, which is physically similar to a magazine, but is intended to remain on bookstore shelves for longer periods than traditional magazines” in a similar manner to a book. They are known as mukku in Japan. The word was… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- Book production
- Magazines
- Retail
Japan has a popular product category (hybrid books and magazines) called Mukku Posted January 3rd, 2018 by Richard Nathan
Japan’s first western-style fashion magazine was launched in 1936 by a controversial female novelist[UPDATED: 2-21-2018]

Chiyo Uno (1897-1996), a novelist whose breakthrough work was Iro-zange, Confessions of Love, launched Japan’s first western-style fashion magazine, Sutairu, Style, in 1936. Uno’s most highly regarded literary work is her novella Ohan (1957) published in English as Ohan in the collection of short-stories: The Old Woman, the Wife, and… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- Magazines
- Women Writers
Japan’s first western-style fashion magazine was launched in 1936 by a controversial female novelist Posted January 3rd, 2018 by Richard Nathan
The first Western commercial fiction was translated into Japanese in 1879[UPDATED: 2-19-2018]

It took 32 years, from the first publication of a work of Japanese fiction in a European language until an important Western work of fiction was published in Japanese translation, in 1879. The first “important” title, according to the scholar Donald Keane was the novel Ernest… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- Industry
- translation
The first Western commercial fiction was translated into Japanese in 1879 Posted January 3rd, 2018 by Richard Nathan
Japan’s oldest book is a religious text[UPDATED: 2-14-2018]

Japan’s oldest surviving book is a religious Buddhist text called the Hokekyo gisho, the authorship of which is generally attributed to Shotoku Taishi (574-622) in 615. It is a commentary, that stresses the importance of faith, on the Lotus sutra from the Asuka Period (538-710), a… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- Culture
- History
- Religion
Japan’s oldest book is a religious text Posted March 22nd, 2017 by Richard Nathan
Book prices in Japan are fixed[UPDATED: 2-14-2018]

Despite Japan’s 1953 Anti-Monopoly Law, books published in Japan are still sold at fixed prices, as was the case before the Second World War. Japan’s Anti-Monopoly Law has an exception for publications. Under the Resale Price Maintenance System publications, including books, must be sold across… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- Industry
- Retail
- Tax
Book prices in Japan are fixed Posted March 22nd, 2017 by Richard Nathan

Factbook

Japan’s first magazine, Seiyo-Zasshi, was launched in October 1867[UPDATED: 2-21-2018]

Japan’s oldest continuously published magazines are Chuo-Koron and Toyo-Keizai launched in 1887 and 1895[UPDATED: 2-21-2018]

It took Japan 20 years to sign up to the world’s first international copyright convention[UPDATED: 2-21-2018]

Japan has a popular product category (hybrid books and magazines) called Mukku[UPDATED: 2-21-2018]

Japan’s first western-style fashion magazine was launched in 1936 by a controversial female novelist[UPDATED: 2-21-2018]

The first Western commercial fiction was translated into Japanese in 1879[UPDATED: 2-19-2018]

Japan’s oldest book is a religious text[UPDATED: 2-14-2018]

Book prices in Japan are fixed[UPDATED: 2-14-2018]

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