Following two years of market research, which included a sample of 1,000 women who read Harlequins in Japanese, the company was convinced that foreign romances would thrive in the Japanese marketplace (Grescoe 115). In 1984, Rei Tanaka, the managing director for the company’s Japanese operations in the early 1980s, noted that “a great deal of time and money was spent in conducting market research in Japan prior to the decision to launch” (41). After Harlequin’s joint venture proposal for translated romance novels was rejected by Japanese publishers, the company decided to enter the market on its own (Grescoe 115). Harlequin Enterprises began to express interest in the Japanese market in the late 1970s (Grescoe 115). History of Harlequin Enterprises in Japan In addition, the report follows the cross-cultural translation and adaptation process that the Harlequin novels and comics underwent in both Japan and the United States. This report chronicles the history of Harlequin in Japan and its venture into the romance manga market.
In the mid-2000s, the Japanese comic adaptations of Harlequin novels were made available in America in the English language. Since setting up shop in Japan in 1979, Harlequin Enterprises has seen relative success in the romance novel market, so the company decided to enter the manga market in Japan in 1998.
Harlequin Enterprises in Japan and its Venture into the Manga Marketĭid you know that Harlequin romance is big in Japan? Not only are Harlequin’s Japanese translations popular, but so are the manga adaptations of its novels.