A Partial Guide to Magazines in Japan
Unofficial guide to Japan's major magazines as of 1997
Overview
There are more than 3 thousands magazines published in Japan, about 70% of the titles are monthly. Estimated circulation is approx. 3 billion copies per issue for monthly magazines total, and 2 billion for weekly. Each year 150 to 200 new titles appear while about 100 close.
Above figures based on 1992 statistics
Circulation of Major Magazines
Weekly Weekly Asahi 419 Sunday Mainichi 236 Weekly Yomiuri 330 Weekly Gendai 744 Weekly Post 1,060 Weekly Bunshun 727 Weekly Shincho 552 Weekly Taishu 281 Weekly Asahi Geino 609 Weekly Hoseki 507 Newsweek Japan 133 AERA 350 Josei Jishin* 688 Weekly Josei* 536 Josei Seven* 766 Hanako* 301 an an* 650 Monthly Bungei Shunju 598 Chuo Koron 100 Gendai 150 Hoseki 140 Sekai (World) 120 Big Tomorrow 330 PLAYBOY Japan 125 POPEYE 204 Hot-Dog-Press 510 non no* 1,166 WITH* 870 MORE* 783 *magazines for women
Source:PR Handbook '97, Unit:1,000 copies
Some backgrounds of weekly journals
While major national papers, which boast 10 million circulations, have become less original, magazine journalism seem to keep their characters sharp. Weekly magazines are divided into two groups; the ones issued by publishing houses, such as Weekly Bunshun, Weekly Shincho, Weekly Gendai and Weekly Post; the others by newspaper companies, such as Weekly Asahi, Sunday Mainich and Weekly Yomiuri.
Publishing-house magaziens have insisted on their positions to critisize giant newspapers. They also think it their mission to report the theme that national papers do not cover. Newspapers put importance on the objectivity. Weeklies, on the contrary, stick to subjective, cynical view points. In a sense, their method is a kind of scandalism. Newspapers take advantage of their big organization and privileges such as press club sysytems. Generally, magazines are so small that they use "guerrilla" way to capture huge targets.
Another characteristic of Japanese weeklies is they pack everything in one issue, from political criticism and economic review to leisure & hobby guide to novels, even erotic pictures. The reason can be traced back to the starting period of these magazines when Japan was so poor that people wanted to find cheap entertainment that could satisfy most of their interests. The large circulations of these publications prove the concept still meet Japanese tastes, maybe.
History of Japanese Magazine
The first magazine of Japan was Seiyo-Zasshi, published in October 1867 by a scholar Shunzo Yanagawa... See an experimantal chronology.
- You may want to visit homepage of The Japan Magazine Publishers Association. It's a good source of information.