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Japan's Manga Market Grows 0.4% in 2016, Digital Sees 27.5% Increase

The All Japan Magazine and Book Publisher's and Editor's Association (AJPEA) released a report on February 24 that estimated that the combined physical and digital sales of the manga industry in Japan amounted to 445.4 billion yen (about US$3.91 billion) in 2016, a 0.4% growth compared to the previous year's 443.7 billion yen (about US$3.89 billion). The combined sales of both physical and digital approach 2008's 448.3 billion yen (about US$3.93 billion) total.

Sales of print manga volumes amounted to 194.7 billion yen (about US$1.71 billion) in 2016, a 7.4% decrease from the previous year, while sales of manga magazines amounted to 101.6 billion yen (about US$892 million), a 12.9% decrease from the previous year. The combined 296.3 billion yen (about US$2.60 billion) total of print sales of manga from both compiled book volumes and magazines saw a 9.3% decrease from last year. This the 15th year in a row to mark a decline in sales for manga's print market. The print-only market is now about half of what it was in the mid-1990s.

However, sales of digital manga volumes amounted to 146 billion yen (about US$1.28 billion), a 27.1% increase from the previous year, while sales of digital manga magazines amounted to 3.1 billion yen (about US$27.24 million), a 55% increase from the previous year. The combined 149.1 billion yen (about US$1.31 billion) total of digital sales of manga from both compiled book volumes and magazines saw a 27.5% increase from last year.

The report added that the study didn't factor in sites, apps, and services such as comico and MangaBox, which offer manga for free. The report also didn't take advertising sales into account.

The publishing industry as a whole is trending the same way, with the total 2016 sales amounting to 1.6618 trillion (about US$14.60 billion), which is around the same margin as the previous year's 1.6722 trillion yen (about US$14.69 billion). Print sales of books and magazines combined amounted to 1.4709 trillion yen (about US$12.92 billion), a 3.4% decrease from last year, but digital sales amounted to 190.9 billion yen (about US$1.67 billion), a 27.1% increase from the previous year.

Source: Animation Business Journal (Tadashi Sudo)