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:
Kodansha’s 1st sales jump in 18 years credited to Attack on Titan
Amazon releases new Kindle model specifically designed for manga readers
Kodansha to release popular manga in Japan and USA simultaneously in K Manga this May
Kodansha’s K Manga app launches with 60 English simupubs among 400 titles
Amazon Japan makes payment policy change that could be a problem for foreigners in Japan
Japan now has gyoza doughnuts, and they taste like no other doughnut we’ve tried before
Japanese criminals are now using crabs to hunt for burglary targets
Does one of Japan’s favorite chocolate brands work with the Pringles chocolate hack?
A letter from our reporter’s deceased mother arrives at just the right time
Is Mister Donut’s all-you-can-eat Donut Buffet still worth it?
Final Fantasy VII’s Tifa’s bar pops up in real-world Tokyo, and we stop by for drinks[Photos]
Japan’s rice warehouse stockpile rate hits record high as consumers, restaurants reject high prices
Woman in Japan breaks into home of complete stranger just to slap him in the face
Nintendo’s Super Mario throws out first pitch at professional baseball game in Japan[Video]
This historical Kyoto zen garden is hosting a guitar and beatbox concert
The average age of Japan’s hikikomori shut-ins is getting older, survey shows
Japan enters Golden Week vacation period, survey shows one in three plan to ride it out at home
Japan’s new Pokémon jackets give you the look and powers of the Kanto starter trio
Studio Ghibli releases crystal glass paperweights featuring Totoro and the Catbus
Japanese hair salons going bankrupt in record numbers
Samurai Coffee: Try Edo period coffee once enjoyed by Japanese warriors
Studio Ghibli releases new anime keychains that are like miniature figurines
Sega opening 65th anniversary store in downtotn Tokyo with deep-cut game merch
Retro-style Evangelion T-shirts coming to Uniqlo sister brand GU[Photos]
Viral tweet suggests Japanese convenience store ripping off customers with donuts, so we investigate
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
Wisteria season starts early with blooming of Japan’s Great Wisteria in its beautiful garden
Japan’s best conveyor belt sushi restaurant of seven years ago has now, finally, come to Tokyo
New Kyoto Converse sneakers celebrate Japan with traditional kimono fabrics for your feet
Brand-new Pokémon manhole covers coming to help the recovery of a disaster-stricken part of Japan
Japan’s awesomely beautiful Alpen Route snow corridor is now open
Injuries on stairs in Tokyo highlight an overlooked design flaw
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Comic Walker app launches with 18 manga titles in English
New online manga service features 200 titles, three selectable languages, and no fees
New service lets you turn manga pages into T-shirt designs, over 200 titles to choose from
PS4s with Silent Hills demo selling for over US$1,500
Otaku Internet services: For all your online Japanese geekery needs