Sadly, Nippon Camera magazine has ceased publication with the May 2021 issue (photo) being the last one. The magazine follows its former rival Asahi Camera which ceased publication in July 2020. Japan’s two biggest and oldest camera magazines are now gone.

Nippon Camera started up in 1948. It has published 964 issues. The magazine thanks its readers for their support this past 73 years. Their official notice dated April 15, 2021 only says that, “It has become difficult to continue publishing the magazine.”

Tokyo-based Nippon Camera-sha, the company publishing the magazine, will also be dissolved on April 30, 2021. The company also publishes how-to camera magazine-books and photo technique books, so all these will disappear too.

Nippon Camera magazine’s final issue supposed go on sale in bookstores in Japan on April 20, 2021. However, bookstores have declined to stock this last issue because publisher Nippon Camera-sha will go bankrupt and bookstores won’t be able to return unsold copies. It seems the digital version is being sold by Amazon.

Only magazine subscribers are receiving this final issue and any refund for their remaining subscription.

Such sudden news. When they were working on the May issue, I wonder if they knew that it would be their last issue. I don’t see any “Thank you readers!” or “Sayonara” on the cover. However, I’m told subscribers got a “sayonara” letter together with the final issue.

Thank you to Nippon Camera for all these years, issues, pages of information, and published photos. Hope all the employees found new jobs.

Official notice: https://www.nippon-camera.com/news.php?i=40