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Japanese used bookstores
Trends
- 1AI firms buy Japanese used books by the ton●Japanese used bookstores see 5x sales surge as books are being bought by the ton
Japanese secondhand bookstores are reporting a fivefold surge in sales as bulk buyers purchase entire stock loads, in some cases tens of tons at once. One order of around 50 tons was shipped to the United States, and store owners suspect many large purchases end up in overseas facilities where books are scanned to train artificial intelligence models and then destroyed. The trend has raised concern among booksellers about losing rare volumes and the fate of the books themselves.
- 2Bulk Orders Surge at Japanese Used Bookstores; 50 Tons Shipped to U.S.●Bulk Orders Surge at Used Bookstores in Japan; 50 Tons Sent to U.S.
Used bookstores in Japan are seeing a surge in bulk purchase orders, with roughly 50 tons of secondhand books shipped to buyers in the United States, according to Nippon TV. The report highlights growing overseas demand for Japanese used books, though it does not specify who the buyers are or what kinds of books are being purchased.