Factbook

A Dynamic Compendium of Interesting Japanese Literary and Publishing Facts
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    Books and publications worth US$5.4 billion are sold every year in Japan[UPDATED: 10-23-2017]

    According to the International Publishers Association (IPA), the Japanese market for books and publications, the fourth-largest in the world, has annual sales of US$5.4 billion.   Despite the overall size and hundreds of millions of books being bought every year in print and digital formats,… Read more »
    Books and publications worth US$5.4 billion are sold every year in Japan Posted by Richard Nathan
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    Two Japanese authors have won the Nobel Prize in Literature[UPDATED: 10-10-2017]

    Two Japanese authors have won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Yasunari Kawabata in 1968  “for his narrative mastery, which with great sensibility expresses the essence of the Japanese mind” and Kenzaburo Oe in 1994 “who with poetic force creates an imagined world, where life and… Read more »
    Two Japanese authors have won the Nobel Prize in Literature Posted by Richard Nathan
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    Over a billion books are distributed in Japan every year[UPDATED: 9-23-2017]

    Over a billion copies of books are distributed in Japan every year, according to the Shuppan Nenkan (Publishing Yearbook). However, only 60% (around 640 million copies) of them are actually bought. The overall Japanese book market, the world’s fourth-largest, peaked over 20 years ago in 1996,… Read more »
    Over a billion books are distributed in Japan every year Posted by Richard Nathan
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    China buying more Japanese books and publications[UPDATED: 8-14-2017]

    Japan’s book exports to China have grown significantly since 2001, when as a condition of joining the World Trade Organization (WTO), China was required to lift restrictions on the importation of books and publications. Despite rapidly growing interest in Japanese novels, and Japanese Crime Fiction in particular, China… Read more »
    China buying more Japanese books and publications Posted by Richard Nathan
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    Most frequently requested novel at Peking University library in 2016 was a translated Japanese crime fiction title[UPDATED: 7-3-2017]

    In 2016, a novel by the Japanese crime-writer Keigo Higashino, Mysterious Night, was the third most frequently borrowed book at Peking University Library. According to an analysis by the library, only two books, both non-fiction academic related titles, an introduction to psychology and an account… Read more »
    Most frequently requested novel at Peking University library in 2016 was a translated Japanese crime fiction title Posted by Richard Nathan
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    Japan’s creative industries inspired by its rich legacy of folk stories & tales of old[UPDATED: 6-24-2017]

    Japanese tales of old in their different versions have not only inspired and fueled science fiction, fantasy and other genre within Japanese literature, but other creative industries in Japan as well, including video game design. For instance, Pokemon (Pocket Monsters) draws on the rich world… Read more »
    Japan’s creative industries inspired by its rich legacy of folk stories & tales of old Posted by Richard Nathan
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    Vast majority of Japanese publishing houses located in Tokyo[UPDATED: 6-23-2017]

    There are approximately 3,700 publishing companies in Japan, of which 80 percent are based in Tokyo. The majority: 60 percent employ less than 10 people. The largest 500 publishers account for more than 90 percent of book sales.
    Vast majority of Japanese publishing houses located in Tokyo Posted by Richard Nathan
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    Japanese people spend over 4 hours per week reading[UPDATED: 5-31-2017]

    Japanese people spend over 4 hours per week reading.  This is only about half the time of Indians who are the world’s biggest bookworms, according to international surveys. The typical Japanese book buyer purchases 5.7 book per year and Japan has one of the world’s… Read more »
    Japanese people spend over 4 hours per week reading Posted by Richard Nathan