Harry Potter a huge hit

Harry Potter a huge hit in Japan

The Asahi Shimbun: Anticipated demand for the Japanese translation of “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” (Book 3) is such that publisher Seizan-sha has printed 1 million copies ahead of its July 12 release, officials said.

The Tokyo-based publisher said it was trying to cater to soaring demand for the book which is particularly popular among elementary and junior high school students. With the summer vacation approaching and a movie in the works, the publishing house knows it is on to a sure thing. It is very rare for 1 million copies of a book to be printed in Japan.

The translation of the first book came out in December 1999 and sold 2.26 million copies. The second in the series, “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” first circulated in September last year and sold 1.68 million copies, the publisher said.