JapanToday has one that says recent moves underway suggest that Japanese books will reach a wider foreign audience, as publishers, faced with declining domestic books sales, are beginning to turn their eyes to overseas markets.
The trend is on introducing contemporary writers, rather than classics symbolized by the three great writers Yasunari Kawabata, Yukio Mishima and Junichiro Tanizaki, publishing industry officials said.
They noted that publishers are encouraged by the growing global popularity of Japanese manga. “The manga boom could well pave the way for Japanese literature to become better known abroad,” said Masahiro Takano, president of TranNet KK, a publishing and translation services company in Tokyo.
Meanwhile, in India, Exports of Indian books, publications and printing materials have increased steadily over the last five years. Valued at Rs 360 crore in 2002-03, this market has grown more than ten times from Rs 33 crore in 1990-91 and over two-fold from Rs 169.9 crore in 1997-98. Exports contribute to just five per cent of the publishing industry’s total turnover, which now stands at Rs 7,000 crore. Developed nations, such the US, Singapore, the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, currently pick up about 50-52 per cent of the total exports. Five years ago, their share was 38 per cent.
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