The National Azabu supermarket in the posh Minami-Azabu district in Minato Ward, Tokyo, offers an impressive variety of imported foods and other goods. But its selection of foreign magazines and books has been sharply curtailed since July 31, when Yohan Inc., which had a virtual monopoly on the sector, went bankrupt.
"We receive complaints from four or five customers every day," said Hiroshi Hirota, in charge of book and magazine procurement at National Azabu.
The supermarket, which relied on Tokyo-based Yohan for its entire lineup of foreign magazines, is feeling more pain than its customers.