(30 Dec 2024) While bookstores are increasingly closing in Japan due to the prevalence of online shopping, some have started to work with libraries for survival.
The government plans to support such collaborations 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 survey results, an expert panel of the education ministry will discuss measures to address the situation.
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.
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