This working paper examines the field of Japanese publishing through a single
event – the Tokyo International Book Fair – and analyses the part played by the
three main players in the publishing industry: publishing houses, wholesale
distributors, and bookstores and other retail outlets. It argues that the mutual
relationships between the three are supported by two structural factors, the
consignment sales and resale price maintenance (RPM) systems, before
comparing the latter with the Net Book Agreement (NBA) that operated in the
UK publishing industry for almost the whole of the 20th century. In conclusion,
taking into account the rise of Internet retailing and the growth of Japanese
chain retail stores, it tries to looks at what effect the abolition of RPM might
have on the field of Japanese publishing.
