Book (standard) price in Japan
Average retail price
Retail price survey conducted by the Statistics Bureau of Japan. This is a survey average, not a shop price — actual prices vary by store. 総務省統計局 小売物価統計調査 · Surveyed items and specifications
Key facts
Book (standard) costs ¥582 per copy in Japan as of September 2026 — the official nationwide price, up 6.0% from a year earlier. Measured as an index, the official CPI for book (standard) reads 128.0 (2020 = 100) in September 2026, up 6.0% year on year and up 25.4% over five years.
Book (standard) sits in the culture & recreation group of Japan's CPI basket, with 609 monthly observations from January 1976 to September 2026. The series peaked at 128.0 in September 2026 and bottomed at 35.4 in January 1976; the latest reading is at its highest recorded level. Against ten years ago it is +30.7%.
Annual average index by year
| Year | Index | YoY % | Months |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 97.7 | +2.8% | 12 |
| 2016 | 97.9 | +0.2% | 12 |
| 2017 | 97.9 | 0.0% | 12 |
| 2018 | 97.9 | 0.0% | 12 |
| 2019 | 98.4 | +0.5% | 12 |
| 2020 | 100.0 | +1.6% | 12 |
| 2021 | 101.9 | +1.9% | 12 |
| 2022 | 105.0 | +3.0% | 12 |
| 2023 | 107.0 | +1.9% | 12 |
| 2024 | 108.2 | +1.1% | 12 |
| 2025 | 116.8 | +7.9% | 12 |
| 2026 | 124.9 | +6.9% | 9 |
Average of the monthly index values in each year (2020 = 100). Blank months are excluded.
Average retail price by month
| 2026-09 | ¥582 |
|---|---|
| 2026-08 | ¥576 |
| 2026-07 | ¥576 |
| 2026-06 | ¥576 |
| 2026-05 | ¥570 |
| 2026-04 | ¥570 |
| 2026-03 | ¥562 |
| 2026-02 | ¥549 |
| 2026-01 | ¥549 |
| 2025-12 | ¥549 |
| 2025-11 | ¥549 |
| 2025-10 | ¥549 |
| 2025-09 | ¥549 |
Frequently asked questions
- How much does book (standard) cost in Japan?
- ¥582 per copy, as of September 2026 — the official nationwide price in the government's retail price survey.
- How much have book (standard) prices changed in Japan over the past year?
- As of September 2026, +6.0% year on year, measured by Japan's official consumer price index (2020 = 100).
- How much have book (standard) prices changed in Japan over the past five years?
- +25.4% compared with the same month five years earlier. The index now reads 128.0.
- When were book (standard) prices in Japan at their highest?
- Right now. The latest month, September 2026, is the highest reading in the series at 128.0 — a record high since the series began.
- What is the difference between the index and the yen price?
- This page carries two kinds of number. The index (2020 = 100) measures percentage change over time and is not a yen amount; the yen figure is an actual average retail price from the government's retail price survey. Source: 総務省統計局 消費者物価指数 (e-Stat table 0003427113, nationwide, monthly).