OSAKA -- Billiards, a game in which Japan made off with gold, silver and bronze medals in this year's Asian Games, seems to be making a resurgence in popularity.
Shooting pool is relatively inexpensive and entrepreneurs can set up pool tables or open pool halls for a relatively low startup investment.
According to the Osaka Customs Office, almost all billiards tables and equipment used in Japan are imported, with more than 80 percent from the United States and Taiwan.
Imports for the first nine months of the year totaled about 1.14 billion yen, nearly twice that for the same period last year, according to the customs office.