Danica Davidson
November 11, 2024 
Another Japanese business is being affected by Western credit card companies. Melonbooks, a chain store that sells doujinshi, will cease taking Visa and Mastercard payments on December 16. After this, people can still use things like American Express or JCB to make purchases.
Melonbooks wants to work things out with Visa and Mastercard, at least for their physical stores in Japan. It’s probably also going to be launching another payment method known as Melob Tenpo Kessai (translated as Melob Store Payment), but that only works for people near physical stores. They can order something online and then go to the physical store to make the payment. So it still leaves overseas fans at a disadvantage.
This news comes right after word that credit card companies are forcing manga creator Ken Akamatsu’s Manga Library Z to shutter on November 26. The credit card companies or their agencies take issue with explicit and controversial manga titles being bought through their system, though sometimes they don’t tell the companies which titles they find offensive.
Akamatsu has been vocal with his disagreements with the credit card companies, and previously stated, “The next request from card brands [after removing explicit material] could be to ban novels or violent scenes altogether. Some say Japan should comply with the global standards. … But if Japanese content becomes too globalized and loses its unique charm, it will also lose its appeal and demand from overseas.”
Akamatsu also made it clear he’s going to try to find other ways to keep Manga Library Z running.
An unnamed executive of a manga retailer had a different response than Akamatsu, telling the press, “We’ll have to reduce our platform’s dependence on adult content. If we want to expand our market, we’d better stick with the global standards.”
Previously, Toranoana, a different Japanese chain store that sells doujinshi, also stopped having the ability to accept Visa and Mastercard on August 13.
Source: ANN
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
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