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S1E34: Japan fights to save its beloved bookshops
Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry wants to take action to get people to return to brick-and-mortar stores.
Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times chats with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe, about life as it goes on, amid the screaming headlines and bubbling crises.
The Japanese are sentimental about bookstores, viewing them as precious communal spaces that do more than just sell books.
And yet, fewer and fewer are going to these stores, in line with global trends.
What is more surprising is how the Japanese government has decided…
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