Japanese lawmakers submit proposals to reviving bookstores

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Japanese lawmakers submit proposals to reviving bookstores

To help bookstores overcome the difficulties they face, a group of Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers have submitted proposals to relevant party organs.

The proposals include supporting bookstores' efforts to digitize their operations and coexist better with public libraries.

The group is aiming to revitalize brick-and-mortar bookstores and protect Japan's culture by reviving brick-and-mortar bookstores. The government is also calling for action to rectify unfair competition from online bookstores.

The LDP submitted its proposals Wednesday to a joint meeting of the LDP's Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Division and the Research Commission for the Establishment of a Culture-Oriented nation.

These proposals will also be submitted to the government of the LDP, with the aim of highlighting these measures in the Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform, which is expected to be adopted in June by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's cabinet.

As one way to improve the business environment for bookshops, the group suggests supporting introducing books with smart tags attached. This will help prevent shoplifting and decrease returns and stock shortages resulting from mismatches between books delivered by publishers and demand at bookstores.

The report calls for the creation of rules that will effectively prevent public libraries from making excessive purchases of the same book. It also recommends libraries give priority to local bookshops when buying a supply of books.

In a move to address the unfair competitive landscape facing bookshops, the report recommends a fact-finding survey to investigate the effective discounts offered by online bookstores, such as free shipping services.

According to measures implemented in nations such as France and South Korea, the report suggests that efforts to encourage people to visit bookstores, such as through regional revitalization and tourism promotion policies.

Online bookstores and slow sales of books and magazines have led to bookshops disappearing from the streets of Japan in recent times.

A survey conducted by the Japan Publishing Industry Foundation for Culture based on September 2022 data from the Japan Publishing Organization for Information Infrastructure Development has found that 456 of Japan's 1,741 municipalities, or 26.2%, have no bookstores at all.