CURRENT TOPICS
With only 24 months remaining in the 20th century, we continue to feel and experience both the mental and physical atmosphere towards global movement. Japan's economic conditions continue to remain cold and I believe that this is mainly influenced by the mental outlook. Generally speaking our major clients such as academic institutions and libraries, for whom 70% of their budget was spent for imported books and media sources, have told us that they have at least kept the same amount of budget as in the past. The main difference at present, however, is that they now have to spend a greater portion of their budget for subscriptions whose prices increase annually and for computers and related equipment/materials and for telecommunication lines. This means that the traditional book budget has been reduced to accommodate the other needs and since the total budget has not grown it has become more and more difficult to sell more books and educational materials to the library market. It is not an easy time for Japan as a whole and the general situation is complicated by the exchange rate of the U.S. dollar to the Yen which has become approximately 20% higher when compared to three or four years ago.
After the commemoration of our 65th anniversary last year, the Yushodo Group reaffirmed its fundamental policies and philosophy in relation to the next century. Also as many of you know, we undertook several personnel and organizational changes. From the first of September this year, we elected Mr. Tamio Kawashima as the new and second president and I am acting as Chairman of the Board of the entire Group (Yushodo Co., Ltd., Yushodo Fantas and Yushodo Press). While Mr. Kawashima has the main responsibility for the sales and sales force, I have the total responsibility for all decision making and investment for the future, especially with our overseas connections. I was also chosen as a board member of the Japan Book Importers Association (to be renamed Japan International Publications Association from next year) and the Japan Book Publishers Association. In these capacities, I will exert my utmost to contribute my experience and philosophy to society.
Our fundamental philosophy in the next century is that more energy and investment be spent in our strengths as well as the strong areas of the Japan market. This also means that Yushodo should be a leader and create new marketing areas and situations. For example, Yushodo could become a worldwide player in the international rare book market. In the original and back numbers business, Yushodo could become the only and major source in Japan for academic periodicals and book collections. Yushodo Press, on the other hand, has microfilmed over 50 million pages of Japanese source materials such as the annual company reports of more than 10,000 Japanese companies from their foundation up to 1960. I also believe that our extensive warehouse holdings will be financially beneficial to us in the long run but the most important function is to have and continually develop a sales networking system with a human touch, even for on-line products. Without this it would become very difficult to sell foreign language materials in Japan in the next century.
While we all realize that the 21st century will become even more global through computer networking and global information centers, it is possible for customers to purchase easily not only individual books but also the contents of materials themselves by using the web pages and on-line systems of publishers and dealers on the Internet. This extends to all lines of materials from humanities to pure science lines and young scholars do not hesitate to use this method to purchase their materials. However to this point I wish to quote Mr. Daniel J. Boorstin, former librarian of The Library of Congress of Washington D.C., "It is very unlikely that the computer will displace books, except in areas where we need information speedily - for police purposes or technological or scientific purposes. The book, with its intimacy, its forcibility, its accessibility, its freedom from outside energy sources, its ability to reach into tyrannic countries, and be hidden under mattresses, and be smuggled in the false bottoms of suitcases - all these are great advantages." I can truly say that I am proud that Yushodo not only imports materials of all levels but also produces important books for preservation purposes. While we will continue to invest in the new technology, at the same time, we will strive to preserve our place as a unique specialist in the Japan market.
Now this autumn, I wish to inform you of some of our current activities. Recently I was fortunate to be able to attend three events or meetings in Europe. The first was in Torino, Italy for the Meeting of International Association of Bibliophiles from September 26th. 150 members, who comprise book collectors, librarians, scholars and publishing executives, attended this meeting. Not only did we visit libraries but also we exchanged information, which I found to be very useful to me for the general book business and the library field. Under the direction of Dr. Shoichi Watanabe as chairman of the organizing committee and Messrs. Yoshikazu Morita and Toshiyuki Takamiya as vice chairmen and I as the Congress director, the 21st Congress of this organization will be held in Japan in September/October 1999.
The second event I attended was the annual Frankfurt Book Fair where I could meet many friends and business associates with whom Yushodo has had business relations for many years. With so many mergers and acquisitions occurring these days, I found that many executives, while continuing to remain book lovers, were preparing to challenge the new media age.
The third and final event was the International Association of Antiquarian Booksellers Congress and book fair in Vienna from October 5th where I attended as a member of honor. As you all know well, while international pricing on materials has generally slowed down, only antiquarian books continue to rise. Recent auctions have borne this out and so I think that there may be a new clientele of moneyed people who have started to collect and invest in notable rare books. Those dealers with good reputations look healthy and even now the antiquarian book business Internet system is now in existence. I think that, whether for good or ill, the new age will make the rich richer and the poor poorer and this includes nations as a whole.
In autumn we were visited by a few overseas companies, namely, UMI, Sweet & Maxwell, West Group and Georg Lingenbrink. Sir Charles Chadwyck-Healey, chairman of the same company, also paid us a visit.
For the first week of November, traditionally "Yushodo Week," we organized several events aimed at creating new clients in the market as well as contributing to our clients. In Hong Kong we held our 5th Hong Kong International Antiquarian Books and Print Fair on October 31st and November 1st at the Prince Hotel in Kowloon. Swindon Book, who has been our associate in past fairs, once again cooperated in this year's fair. Frankly speaking this fair is not that profitable but I believe that the continuation of the fair to be most important for the cultivation of potential clients in the future. While books on China and some art books were displayed, I also believe that through this careful cultivation, we will see the true rare book business blossom in Asia. Mr. Christopher Li, Director of Swindon, has been most helpful in our joint fair and without him and his staff, it would have been difficult to continue in this venture.
Next we had our own 23rd annual antiquarian book fair here at Yushodo's main show room and rare book room with about 200 guests coming to view the books on display. Compared to ten years ago, the turnover is down but I believe that the real time of the rare book business will once again revive and new lovers of books will appear who will want to purchase and start their own collections of rare books. For this fair, we had the participation of 16 foreign dealers who sent us their books on consignment. Their items totaled about 1/3 of the entire display and we are very appreciative of their support. Our clients continue to tell us that the annual Yushodo fair is the best western antiquarian book fair in Japan.
Finally on November 6th more than 500 participants came to Ibuka Hall at Waseda University for our 16th Yushodo Forum. This year featured Shakespeare and Chikamatsu. In the history of drama, Chikamatsu has been compared to Shakespeare and so our Forum was held with the cooperation of Waseda University Theatre Museum and Columbia University Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture. Featured speakers were Messrs. Donald Keene, Andrew Gerstle, Ganjiro Nakamura and the coordinator was Mr. Bunzo Torigoe, Director of the museum. Mr. Kawashima, our new president, gave the closing address.
Many have said that next year will be even harder in Japan and all know well that it has become difficult to create more turnover when compared to previous years but I believe that with the hard work of our 100 or more staff, we will have the good chance to report perhaps better and more optimistic news in the next issue of Pinus.
To close, I welcome all of you who may have the opportunity to visit Japan and to everybody I extend my personal best wishes and greetings for the coming holiday season and the New Year.
|
