Bungei Shunjū Ltd. was established in 1923 by the best selling writer Kan Kikuchi. Along with books, the Japanese company publishes ten cultural magazines including the leading monthly magazine Bungei Shunjū.

The company presents the annual Akutagawa Prize, established in 1935, one of the most prestigious literary awards in Japan, as well as the annual Naoki Prize for popular novelists and the annual Bungei Shunjū Manga Award for achievement in Manga literature.

Bungei Shunjū is well known for its tradition of discovering new literary talent, and it keeps a high profile in freedom of speech and anti-piracy issues.

Key Company Developments in 2012

Financial:

Revenues have declined continuously at Bungei Shunju over the past years, from 31 billion JPY in 2007 to 25.7 billion JPY in 2012.

Ownership, mergers & acquisition, internal organization:

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International:

Bungeishunju operates an office in New York.

Digital:

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Bestselling authors & titles:

Bungei Shunjū is the Japanese publisher of Haruki Murakami. In spring 2013, it released the author's newest novel, which translates as The Colorless Tasaki Tsukuru and the Year of His Pilgrimage. The book instantly outsold the internationally acclaimed previous novel 1Q84.

Key points for analysis & conclusions:

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