TOKYO: Sales of electronic publications in Japan in January-June are estimated to have grown 28.4 percent from a year before to 176.2 billion yen, industry data showed July 27.

E-publications attracted demand during stay-home requests amid the new coronavirus crisis while many bookstores were forced to suspend operations or shorten operating hours, analysts said.

Estimated sales of electronic comic publications rose 33.4 percent to 151.1 billion yen, according to the Research Institute for Publications of the All Japan Magazine and Book Publisher’s and Editor’s Association.

The growth of the electronic comic market was partly led by the popularity of “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” manga series, according to the institute.

E-book sales rose 15.1 percent to 19.1 billion yen, but sales of electronic magazines dropped 17.8 percent to 6 billion yen, according to the estimates.

Meanwhile, sales of printed books and magazines fell 2.9 percent to 618.3 billion yen.

Combined sales of e-publications and printed books and magazines rose 2.6 percent to 794.5 billion yen, the institute said.

E-publications accounted for 22.2 percent of the overall publication market in January-June, topping 20 percent for the first time since statistics began in 2014, Masaharu Kubo of the institute said. “New users during the stay-home period led the growth,” he said.

JIJI Press