Kindle Unlimited service offers titles for monthly fee; Kobunsha also claims removal of 550 titles
Japanese publisher Kodansha lodged a protest with online retailer Amazon Japan on Monday after Amazon removed more than 1,000 Kodansha titles from its Kindle Unlimited e-book subscription service.
Amazon Japan launched the service in Japan on August 3. The subscription service allows users to read titles on offer for a monthly fee. The service offers 120,000 Japanese publications, and about 1.2 million foreign publications. The Wall Street Journal reports – citing a source in the Japanese publishing industry – that Amazon would pay publishers a year-end premium for every user that read up to 10% of an offered publication, in addition to regular fees. According to the source, manga, magazines, and photo collections began disappearing from the service in mid-August. The Japan Times additionally emd a publishing industry source that stated Amazon told the publishers its budget ran out after some titles saw demand beyond what Amazon expected.
Amazon said in an email statement to The Wall Street Journal that “titles regularly rotate in and out of the catalog.” The statement noted that this is common in subscription services for any medium.
Kodansha‘s protest claimed that Amazon made a “one-sided decision” to remove the titles, without informing the publisher beforehand, and further stated that Amazon had removed the titles on the evening of September 30. Kodansha asked that Amazon reconsider the tiles’ removal.
Japanese publisher Kobunsha also claimed on Monday that Amazon removed 550 of its titles from the service.
Sources: The Japan Times, The Wall Street Journal (Megumi Fujikawa)
More from Anime News Network:
PS4s with Silent Hills demo selling for over US$1,500
Starbucks Japan releases two new seasonal drinks that blur the line between summer and autumn
Studio Ghibli composer Jo Hisaishi just set three Guinness Records
Japanese workers reveal their top five mysterious rules they wish would disappear【Survey】
12-year-old British girl who went missing in Tokyo found safe after visiting anime sites around Yokohama
Universal Studios Japan partners with manga horror master Junji Ito’s Tomie
Japanese convenience store sunglasses just became our newest Convenience Wear obsession
Japan’s Rabbit Island in danger of becoming Boar Island, tourists asked to follow feeding rules
Dog-friendly Wanwan Liner bus to begin operations between Tokyo and Osaka this fall
Stay at a hotel with a bed for your plushie in Japan
Tokyo giving out free furoshiki from Pikachu’s designer to help tourists carry their garbage home
Study finds hundreds of people in Indonesia legally named after Naruto, Inuyasha, other anime stars
12-year-old foreign tourist missing in Japan, police asking for help finding her [Video]
Japanese gacha machine in Shibuya now sells tiny capsule terrariums
The Japanese city where ordering grilled chicken doesn’t guarantee you’ll actually get chicken
Japanese airlines set to cut fuel surcharges for international flights in September and October
Studio Ghibli adds new Jiji’s baby plush toy to its anime merchandise range in Japan
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
New Shinkansen luggage drop-off system begins in Japan, making train travel even easier
Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat
Japanese Shinkansen becomes an overnight hotel for three nights this summer
Pokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buy
Japanese toilet aims to attract foreign tourists but not everybody is happy about it
99-year-old woman rescued while attempting to climb Mt. Fuji
Tokyo’s newest viral dessert is like a Japanese parfait inside a bread bun [Taste test]
New Japanese vending machine at Shinkansen station sells cups of ice on platform
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】