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With annual sales of more than *** billion Japanese yen, Shueisha Inc. topped the list of the largest Japanese publishing companies during the period from 2021 to 2022. Headquartered in Tokyo, Shueisha publishes manga, books, and magazines. The company also operates the popular manga app Shonen Jump+. Shueisha was followed by Kodansha Ltd., which generated sales of almost *** billion yen.

Digital shift in the publishing industry

As the online media content market expands rapidly, the internet has significantly shaped the trends and evolution of the publishing sector. While the print publishing industry has experienced a consistent decline in sales value in recent years, digital publishing has exhibited robust and enduring growth. Notably, comics have emerged as the most successful segment of the digital publishing market, overshadowing books and magazines with considerably smaller market shares.

Digital transformation (DX) initiatives

In response to several structural challenges faced by the publishing industry, Marubeni Corporation, Marubeni Forest LinX Co., Ltd., Kodansha Ltd., Shueisha Inc., and Shogakukan Inc. established the joint venture PubteX Co., Ltd. in March 2022. The joint venture aims to reduce the return of publications via an AI-based optimization of the supply chain and to improve inventory management by using radio frequency identifiers (RFIDs). The proposed changes are also intended to help with the operation of bookstores in Japan, which face a long-term decline due to the shift to digital publications.