Why AI is buying books in Japan: sales grow up to five times

Since August 2026, second-hand bookstores in Japan have experienced an unprecedented surge in demand, with daily sales multiplying by up to five times. According to booksellers, this unexpected commercial bonanza is suspected to be driven by artificial intelligence purchasing large volumes of books.

While the phenomenon represents a significant financial boost for Japanese used bookstores, the underlying cause points to automated, large-scale acquisitions by AI systems rather than traditional consumer trends. The exact purpose behind these massive book purchases by artificial intelligence remains a subject of suspicion among the affected retailers.