Japan: “Japanese Bookstores Collaborate with Libraries For Survival”

From The Japan Times:

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

In May 2023, Hisamido, which operates bookstores mainly in the Tokyo city of Machida, started a service allowing customers to borrow and return books owned by municipal libraries at one of its stores. Hisamido said that sales of study-aid books and children’s books have since increased.

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Some customers buy books related to books borrowed from libraries, while library use has increased and the convenience of users has improved, a Hisamido official explained. “It’s a win-win-win situation.”

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