Japan Manga Sales Top 700 Billion Yen For 1st Time On Digital Growth

TOKYO, Feb 25 (Bernama-Kyodo) -- Sales of manga comics in Japan are estimated to have topped 700 billion yen (US$4.67 billion) in 2024 for the first time, rising 1.5 per cent from the previous year, industry data showed on Tuesday, driven by growth in digital sales as physical media declines, Kyodo News Agency reported.

It marked the fifth consecutive year of record sales, with digital formats now making up 72.7 per cent of the 704.3 billion yen market.

Sales of print versions continued to decline after a boost in demand during the COVID-19 pandemic faded, the Research Institute for Publications said.

Sales of digital format comics totalled 512.2 billion yen, up six per cent and around double their 2019 level, although the institute said growth is slowing.

Sales of physical comic books and magazines stood at 192.1 billion yen, down 8.8 per cent from a year ago.

The results come as several popular series concluded last year, such as "Jujutsu Kaisen," "My Hero Academia" and "Oshi no Ko."

Sales of manga accounted for 44.8 per cent of the country's publishing market, up 1.3 percentage points.

-- BERNAMA-KYODO