The Fall of “Weekly Shonen Jump,” Once Printing 6.35 Million Copies… the Collapse of Paper Magazine Sales to 1 Million

For Guinness’ glory of 6.35 million copies… the quiet exit of a paper manga kingdom

The impenetrable stronghold of 'Weekly Shonen Jump', once an absolute heavyweight in Japan’s manga industry that topped 6 million copies per single issue and earned its place in the Guinness Book, has collapsed. Amid the relentless smartphone and 'webtoon' wave, the 1 million-copy quarterly publication mark has broken down for the first time ever, signaling the end of the paper magazine era.

'Shueisha', the publisher of 'Weekly Shonen Jump', officially announced that the magazine’s print run in the last two quarters came in at 985,000 copies. This is the first time it has fallen below 1 million since the current tally method was introduced in 2008. With this shocking indicator as its endpoint, not a single paper magazine remains in Japan’s publishing market that sells 1 million copies or more.

Since its launch in 1968, 'Weekly Shonen Jump' produced global mega hits such as 'Dragon Ball', 'Slam Dunk', and 'One Piece'. In the New Year combined issue of 1995, it recorded an astonishing print run of 6.35 million copies. But after failing to get through the tumultuous period of digital transition and seeing its run collapse below the 2 million-copy threshold in 2017, it has now also fallen past the 1 million-copy line. Its competitor, Kodansha’s 'Weekly Shonen Magazine' (210,000 copies) and Shogakukan’s 'Weekly Shonen Sunday' (120,000 copies) are also stuck in a grim downward trend.

Saito Nobuhiko, an editor well versed in Japan’s manga industry, in an interview with the Yomiuri Shimbun, called the current situation “a historic event that serves as a clear turning point for an era,” adding that “the rapid shrinkage of the paper magazine market will ultimately trigger a chain reaction that is fatal to the broader ecosystem of Japan’s bookstore industry as a whole,” issuing a stern warning.

Amid 'Shueisha'’s painful performance slump, an absurd crime also took place. A woman in her 30s was arrested by police on charges of obstruction of business after using more than 200 alias accounts on 'Shueisha'’s official online shopping mall to place more than 2,000 false orders for popular manga 'One Piece' figures, then canceling them. Without paying the amounts owed, she told investigators she carried out the stunt “simply to relieve stress,” sparking public outrage in society.