Japanese bookstores partner with libraries for survival.

In Japan, declining bookstores are partnering with libraries for survival, prompting government support and a 2025 survey to address issues.

Yo, listen up! Bookstores in Japan are getting crushed by online shopping, with numbers plummeting from 15,602 in 2013 to just 10,918 in 2023. It's like a slow-motion train wreck, and round 28% of places don’t even have a bookstore anymore!

But here’s the scoop: some stores are teaming up with libraries to stay alive. The government’s stepping in too, planning a survey come April 2025 to figure out how to fix this mess. They’re looking into why libraries have so many copies of the same book—honestly, that’s gotta be contributing to those sad book sales.

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