Last year, with the arrival and immediate success of the iPad in Japan, expectations were raised for the future of e-books in Japan. According to the latest figures (from Impress R&D), in fiscal 2010, sales of e-books increased 13 percent over the previous year to some ¥65 billion.
By comparison, print book sales totaled some ¥821.3 billion, down for the fourth year in a row.
As the market moves from cell phones to iPads and other reading devices, the content is changing as well, from comics to novels and business books.