Publishing market size in Japan 2014-2021

The sales value of the publishing industry in Japan was estimated at 1.67 trillion Japanese yen in 2021. This constituted an increase of about 500 million yen compared to the previous year.

The Japanese publishing industry

The Japanese publishing industry produces books, magazines, and comics. A breakdown of the industry by segment shows that printed books constitute the largest part of the market. While the sales value of printed publications has been decreasing in recent years, digital publishing has shown a strong growth trajectory. Manga account for by far the biggest share of the digital publishing market. As a large number of manga apps were introduced throughout the 2010s, such as LINE Manga in 2013, Shonen Jump+ in 2014, and Piccoma in 2016, there has been a fierce competition for audiences. At the same time, the high popularity of digital media has resulted in a decline of advertising spending allocated to traditional media, such as printed magazines.

Preferences among book readers

Japan has a high literacy rate, and many people are used to engage with text-based media. However, there are differences to be observed when it comes to the usage of books. Due to the demographic makeup of Japan’s society, older consumers exert a tremendous influence on many industries, including the publishing industry. As one survey shows, people of older generations are much more likely to exclusively use printed books, while younger generations are much more likely to combine both printed books and e-books. Readers of printed books, which also includes those who read both printed books and e-books, most commonly cite being used to printed books as one reason to read them. By contrast, readers of e-books, which also includes those who read both types of books, most commonly mention the lack of storage troubles as one reason to read e-books.