Inherited the stationery manufacturer procurement function and bookstore route sales business from NMS & T Co., Ltd.
Established HIRAKU Co., Ltd.
Divided the YOURS BOOK STORE and BUNKITSU businesses.
Acquired Gakken Stayful Co., Ltd., which develops and sells educational toys and learning stationery, as a subsidiary.
Launched the bookstore ordering platform "NOCS 0".
Opened the fully unmanned bookstore "Hontasu".
Opened "Bunkitsu Sakae".
Opened "Ayumi BOOKS Sugamo Store supported by Hontasu".
Opening of N-PORT Niiza
Opened the community bookstore & hotel "Neohasu".
Kashihara Bookstore Open
Fully Automated Bookstore "Hontasu Shinkobē" Open
New Flagship Store "BUNKITSU TOKYO" Open
The October 2026 retail sales year-over-year survey results show an overall 103.7% increase compared to the previous year. Books, including literary works, paperbacks, children's books, and practical books, outperformed the previous year, with literary works particularly strong at 115.5%. Magazines performed well with monthly issues at 107.7%, while comics were at 93.0% YoY.
Honrabu Inc. will gradually launch the integrated web service "Honrabu WEB" on November 5, 2026, replacing the traditional inventory search app. The service offers three modes—Standard, In-Store, and Tablet—allowing users to search inventory and request items without registration. Registered members can also add favorites and use the points program.
Japan Bookstore and Library Distribution Center will open the first Saitama branch of the in-library shop 'TOSHOP' inside Sugito Town Public Library on October 31, 2026. In addition to books, stationery, sweets, and miscellaneous goods, they will sell local character goods from Sugito Town and local shop's bite-sized fried snacks.
Nippon Sales will sell the 'Bookstore Management Index 2026 Edition No.64', which analyzes the management status and sales trends of bookstores based on a survey of 65 companies and 511 stores nationwide, starting from October 28, 2026. The sales revenue year-over-year growth for the store section was 101.7%, gross profit margin was 28.4%, and operating profit margin was 1.6%. The data is provided in Excel format, priced at 1,650 yen including tax.
Japan Publishing Sales will hold a bookstore collaboration campaign to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the game 'Bungou to Alchemist' from November 20 to December 6, 2026, at 404 bookstores nationwide. In addition to distributing original bookmarks at participating stores, the campaign will feature a book fair and merchandise sales at selected stores, and a poster project displaying different authors at 93 stores nationwide.
Japan Bookstore Co. has planned and produced a tour project combining the TV anime 'Hakuji Houshou Boro Tobi Group' and Shinjo City's tourism resources, titled 'Hakuji and the Festival Town of Shinjo'. The project, featuring narration by Gen'go Matsunaga (CV: Yuichiro Umehara), takes visitors around the city's tourist spots from November 21, 2026 to February 21, 2027, and participation is free.
Japan Publishing Sales will sequentially sell the new six patterns of the "futairo Ring Note", which can be used both vertically and horizontally, starting from late October 2026, in bookstores, gift shops, and e-commerce sites nationwide. The notebook features a dual‑sided cover with different designs and colors, a 5mm grid, space for an index, and pockets to store sticky notes and stickers. It comes in two sizes, Square and B6, priced at 1,078 yen (tax included) each.
The second edition of the literary award "Book Koshien", selected by librarians nationwide, has been decided. Recruitment of authors aiming to be "Japan's best book" and librarian judges will begin on October 20, 2026. A tournament will be held from June 2027, and the grand prize will be decided in the final match in October of the same year.
Japan Publishing Sales will celebrate the release of 'Final Fantasy Resonance' by holding a collaboration campaign from October 23 to November 8, 2026, at 350 bookstores nationwide. When you purchase the product at participating bookstores, you will receive one of eight original bookmarks featuring character visuals from the game. A developer event and an X hashtag campaign offering a complete set of bookmarks will also be conducted.
Murasaki Nagiko’s *Orion wa Shizuka ni Utau* (Shogakukan) was selected for the grand prize in the first “Book Koshien,” co-hosted by Honmirai, TRC, and Nippan. The winner was chosen from among the works that advanced through a tournament decided by votes from librarians nationwide at the final event, held on October 5, 2026, at Ishiyama-dera Temple. The work is a coming-of-age novel about Saki, a high school student with severe hearing loss, who grows through competitive karuta.