Weekly magazines were formerly published by newspaper companies, but book publishers began to enter this field in February 1956, with the launching of Weekly Shincho . The weeklies, which enjoy wide circulation, provide an alternative to the more staid contents of daily newspapers. In recent years, magazines have become more focused in their contents, appealing to hobbyists and more specialized interests, such as collectors, sports enthusiasts, and personal computer users. Magazines linked up with their foreign counterparts also have been gaining ground. Newsweek has been issued in a Japanese-language edition since 1986.
Comic magazines are very popular among both young people and adults.
Added to these are printed comics, or manga . A growing number of stories featured in Japanese manga have been translated into foreign languages and have achieved a worldwide following. Many new magazines make their debuts every year, so that competition in this market becomes severer and some magazines cannot support themselves.