The "in-flight manga" introduced before anywhere in the world was selected by a single male staff member!
"In the spring of 2013, we developed our own system to start a service called 'SKY MANGA' that allows you to read manga on your personal monitor, which was a world first at the time. We currently have about 40 titles, with volumes 1 to 3 of each work, and if you combine all the e-books together, you can read about 100 books." (Taku Hamada, In-Flight Entertainment Department, Comics Division)

*The screen is for illustrative purposes only.
Hamada said, "Among the 33,000 or so JAL Group employees, I'm probably the only one who reads manga." In other words, he's the only one who selects what to put on the plane. For Hamada, who is originally a manga fan, this assignment was a dream come true.
"We aim to offer a wide range of titles for both men and women, including titles that customers of different generations are interested in and popular titles they may have read in the past. For example, we have a wide variety of genres, from "Kacho Shima Kosaku," which is relatable to the salaryman generation, to the recently concluded "Yamikin Ushijima-kun," and "Tokyo Tarareba Girls," which was also made into a TV drama. On international routes, we change these titles about four times a year." (Hamada)
We select the perfect works that meet the needs of all generations and borders.

"Of the current lineup (July 2019), my top picks are "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "Yoroshiku Mechadoc." I've also included other titles that I would highly recommend. I have a strong personal attachment to "If My Idol Comes to Budokan, I'll Die," a work about idols that I asked the publisher to make available after asking many times, because I actually love idols. I frequent bookstores and always try to buy any titles that are trending. In addition, there are cases where we have been able to publish a title based on customer feedback, so we look forward to your requests!" (Hamada)
Recently, we have been seeing an increase in customers from overseas, so we have also added works in Chinese, Thai, Indonesian, and Vietnamese. We are also working hard to make our products multilingual.

"In order to broaden the base of Cool Japan, we are conscious of the fact that 'only Japan Airlines can offer Japanese manga.'" (Hamada)
Currently, manga reading is only available on international flights, but with the new Airbus A350 aircraft scheduled to begin service in September, it will be possible to read manga on domestic flights as well, and new initiatives are also planned.
"In addition to manga, you will be able to read magazines. In addition to general magazines such as "Tokyo Calendar," "ELLE," "Golf Digest," "Photo Technique Digital," and "MEN'S EX," the ship will also carry information magazines about towns in the destinations it serves. It will also have picture books for children." (Hamada)
On domestic flights, you can also use free Wi-Fi and watch video programs!
In-flight entertainment services are becoming more and more comprehensive. However, unlike the A350, which has personal monitors as standard equipment in every seat, traditional domestic flights do not have monitors, so many people have the impression that they are inevitably limited to audio. However, if you install the dedicated app "JAL App" or "JAL Flight Navi" on your smartphone or tablet, you can actually connect to the Internet via free in-flight Wi-Fi and watch a wide range of video programs even on JAL domestic flights.

"Currently, there are about 70 channels available. In addition to variety shows and sports programs from terrestrial broadcasting stations, there are also dramas and children's animations. There are also videos made by local governments introducing the charms of each region," said Shigeru Saiki, who is in charge of video content at the same department.
These programs are purchased directly from TV stations, such as "Sekai no Hatsu Made Itte Q!" and "Cambrian Palace," and TV dramas such as "Legal V" and "The Beach Boys."
Programs are purchased six months in advance! From now on, the focus will be on anime
"Several people in charge bring candidate works to the planning meeting and decide. For some works, orders must be placed six months in advance, so we predict what kind of works people will enjoy and select them in the month of screening. For example, "Aiseki Shokudo," which Chidori serves as the MC, is a program broadcast mainly in the Osaka area on Asahi Broadcasting Television, but it was also featured on another famous variety show at the same time, so a lot of customers were able to enjoy it." (Saiki)
We are also now actively incorporating anime into our programming.
"There are 'The Laughing Salesman' (broadcast version in 'Gimme a Break') and 'Detective Conan'" (Saiki)
The options for in-flight entertainment are actually increasing, from movies to music, TV to magazines to comics. With so much to choose from, it's hard to not be bored on the plane. The view outside the window is nice, but taking advantage of the extra time to access content that you normally wouldn't have access to could be a new way to enjoy your flight.
We'll take you behind the scenes of JAL's work, including inside stories on the introduction of the A350 and the development of in-flight meal menus.
The contents published are accurate at the time of publication and are subject to change.