It ’ s autumn , traditionally the best season for reading . Reading Week , which actually spreads over two weeks , started Wednesday . This year has also been designated as national reading year . Special events being held around the country such as symposiums on reading and public readings are attracting bigger crowds than other years . This is a splendid chance to come across some good page - turners . Diet resolutions to designate 2010 as the national year for reading were adopted unanimously two years ago by the House of Representatives and the House of Councilors . A written culture and the culture of the printed word are foundations for all cultural activities . Should people lose interest in the printed word , their reading comprehension skills and linguistic ability will decline , diluting the vitality of Japanese society . However , we think the government ’ s budget for this fiscal year goes against the spirit of national reading year . Money earmarked for promoting children ’ s reading activities was slashed to less than half that of the previous fiscal year . Furthermore , the 10 billion yen the government contributed to the “ children ’ s dream fund ” money to support reading activities organized by the private sector will be returned to the state coffers . These spending cuts are the result of budget screening by the Government Revitalization Unit , which concluded these activities should be abolished . That being the case , we think the Democratic Party of Japan - led administration should come up with new measures to promote reading . A suprapartisan group of Diet members promoting culture of the printed word , chaired by DPJ Vice President Kenji Yamaoka , has advocated a five - year program to improve and expand the National Diet Library and other public libraries . Fewer than 40 percent of primary and middle schools have a regular school librarian . The suprapartisan Diet group wants all schools to have a full - time librarian as soon as possible . To achieve these goals , the central and local governments must come up with the necessary money . This year also has been dubbed “ the first year of electronic books . ” Handy devices such as the iPad have hit the market one after another . Some publishing companies are scrambling to tailor their content for electronic books . According to a private research organization , electronic publishing accounts for only 2 percent of the overall publishing market . But some estimates suggest the electronic publishing market will grow 10 - fold by 2020 . There are , however , many people who still feel an attachment to books and the texture of paper pages . Many people surely would much rather prefer to see children leisurely flip through the pages of a book , rather than see them read books on an electronic device screen . Some bookstore operators are trying to attract readers by creating captivating displays and expanding their lineup of books . They face stiff competition from the growing popularity of electronic books . We hope national reading year will help build a spiritually rich culture of the printed word , while accepting that the arrival of electronic books modern - day “ black ships ” in a sense can be one way to stimulate greater interest in reading . ( The Yomiuri Shimbun , Oct . 29 )