The Book Publishing Industry in Japan and the Uk: Corporate Philosophy/objectives, Behaviour and Market Structure

A number of prominent publishers in the UK and US have become parts of globalized media groups. In Japan, by contrast, they have neither been absorbed into media groups nor become globalized businesses. Based on interviews of major players in the Japanese publishing industry as well as annual reports, other written materials, and in comparison with the UK, this paper examines co-relationships among corporate philosophy, behaviour, and market structure with a view to explaining comparative divergence between Japan and the UK. The Japanese publishing market exhibits a number of distinctive structural, systemic and business practice characteristics, and these have not changed markedly in recent years. One historical influence on strategies shaping corporate behaviour in Japan has been competencies, or limited management capabilities and reach. Corporate behaviour at a collective level, in turn, has created a distinctive industry structure. The paper suggests the importance not just of strategies (choices made in the pursuit of profit) shaped by competences, but of corporate philosophies which emphasize public interest and not just profit. These norms, while nuanced, overlap to help shape a distinctive and enduring structure in Japan.