Amazon Faces Publishing Dispute in Japan Over Book Subscriptions

1,700-plus titles removed from Kindle Unlimited amid talks
Amazon tussled with U.S. publishers over prices in 2014

1475560954_amazon kindle 1 — Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

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By Yuji Nakamura and Grace Huang

October 4, 2016 at 5:26 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Amazon.com Inc. is caught up in another publishing dispute, this time in Japan over its subscription-style digital book service.

The web retailer pulled more than 1,000 titles from Kodansha Ltd. over the weekend amid negotiations with Japan’s largest publisher over their contract and the books included in the service. Kobunsha Co. said 550 items were cut. As many as 180 publications from Shogakukan Inc. are no longer being offered; the company said Amazon had sought to reduce the fees it shares.