Japan still leads for Newspaper Delivery

Today, and every July 14th, is Newspaper Delivery Day しんぶん配達の日 in Japan. A proud reminder that not only does Japan still have newspaper delivery, but it also maintains the most robust home delivery network in the world.

The date of the anniversary corresponds with the Himawari-1 launch I wrote about it earlier. On this day in 1977 Japan sent its first meteorological satellite into space. The idea links the satellite circling the Earth to deliver weather information with newspaper delivery workers circulating through neighborhoods to deliver knowledge and news!

My in-laws, like many of my neighbors, still get a newspaper delivered daily. They only receive one edition, but some families still get two - a morning paper and an evening paper. Japan's Guinness World Record holder, the Yomiuri Shinbun, remains the world’s highest-circulating newspaper, in an age when print has nearly disappeared in many other countries.