The Field of Japanese Publishing

This working paper examines the field of Japanese publishing through a single event – the Tokyo International Book Fair – and analyses the part played by the three main players in the publishing industry: publishing houses, wholesale distributors, and bookstores and other retail outlets. It argues that the mutual relationships between the three are supported by two structural factors, the consignment sales and resale price maintenance (RPM) systems, before comparing the latter with the Net Book Agreement (NBA) that operated in the UK publishing industry for almost the whole of the 20th century. In conclusion, taking into account the rise of Internet retailing and the growth of Japanese chain retail stores, it tries to looks at what effect the abolition of RPM might have on the field of Japanese publishing.