The Japan Publication Wholesalers Association made a proposal over the summer to officially delay the release date of books and magazines by one day for regions outside of the capital.
According to a report by the Asahi Shimbun, the proposal was initially made in July earlier this year. While releases are already slightly later for certain area, this would make the policy more uniform across the country and even extend to major metropolitan areas in the Kansai region.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the organization explained that this was due to both the rising costs in transportation and a decrease in demand for physical publications. Logistics centers associated with the JPWA noted a sharp fall in the number of bookstores from over 20,000 in the early 2000s to less than 10,000 in 2025.
Even so, the decision to include Osaka and Kyoto in the decision is surprising. Not only do both cities have a combined popular of over three million, one business owner in Moriguchi noted that brick and mortar stores would no longer be able to compete effectively with online providers such as Comic Cmoa.
