Apple Soon to Offer 80,000 Japanese-language Ebooks

By Edward Nawotka

Reports coming out of Japan suggest Apple will launch Japanese-language ebooks in January. The reports say that 80,000 titles will be on offer from a range of top publishers, including including Kadokawa, Shogakukan, and Kodansha.

As we’re reported here in the past, Japan has proven a tricky market for ebooksellers, largely as a result of fear of giving up control over distribution. Amazon and Kobo are already selling e-books in Japan, with varying degrees of success. But Apple’s iPad has proven to be a particularly popular, prestige device, despite a myriad of competing options available to consumers. Adding commercial ebook titles should only add to the iPad’s allure, not to mention that the iPad is a superior device on which to view illustrated content, such as manga, making it all the more appealing.

For deeper analysis of the checkered history of ebookselling in Japan, see our previous reports:

How Fear of Disruption Stalled Japan’s Ebook Development

In Japan, Kindle May Finally Push Publishers Into Ebooks