"I wanted to create the outline of ELLE within six months to a year and get results." This determination manifested itself in a focus on special features. The conditions set by the ELLE International Department were that a woman must always appear on the cover, that the layout not change throughout the year, and that readers who buy ELLE because they like its tone and manner must not be disappointed.

Editor-in-Chief Mori, who decided that "special features," which were discouraged at the time, were essential to Japanese readers, began publishing a rapid succession of monthly features that looked a little further ahead than the current trend, such as "Dog Special," "New York Guide," "Body-Conscious Healing," and "Ageless Women," which were previously unheard of in fashion magazines.

Book sales grew, and as he gained the trust of clients (advertisers), the number of monthly visitors from overseas to check the magazine decreased.

The first-anniversary issue featured another "Paris Special." That year marked "The Year of France in Japan," and the magazine partnered with the embassy to create a booklet introducing French brands, which was included as a separate supplement and distributed to French-affiliated companies. Sensing that this could also be a business idea, Editor-in-Chief Mori made a change to the paper quality for the first anniversary issue, something that publishers find difficult due to cost issues. "We want to ensure that the ads our clients place look beautiful," he said. He used a glossy PP cover and improved the paper quality of the inside pages, resulting in a dramatic improvement in the visuals. Mori's ELLE Japon covers have one distinctive feature: they feature some kind of number. Sometimes it's the number of pages in a feature, sometimes the total number of items featured, or the number of people featured. When asked about his commitment to numbers, Mori said, "Design-wise, Japanese and Roman characters are surprisingly lacking in variety, so adding numbers tightens things up. Numbers are catchy, so they jump out at you when the magazine is displayed in a bookstore. Also, readers aren't satisfied with a feature that's only 6 or 8 pages long. By showing the specific numbers, we make it more persuasive." Just as ELLE Japon seemed to be on a roll after celebrating its first anniversary, a storm hit it with the launch of Vogue Nippon (now Vogue Japan) in 1999. It began with the poaching of staff. It's a global tradition for ELLE editors to poach staff from ELLE, citing their international magazine expertise. "Without any way to keep them, I felt a sense of loneliness, like watching a child I'd raised leave the nest," Editor-in-Chief Mori revealed. Vogue Nippon then began staking out famous photographers, celebrities, and models, and aggressively pursuing clients. However, unlike Vogue Nippon, which targeted the luxury market, ELLE had established a more accessible positioning, so it didn't cannibalize its readership and was able to minimize the impact on advertising.

Then, until the Lehman Shock of September 2008, which shook the global market, the fashion world continued in a mini-bubble era. Unaffected by the aftereffects of the Lehman Shock, ELLE Japon celebrated its 10th anniversary and 300th issue in 2009, with increased advertising volume and, in response to requests from brands to publish separate volumes, produced a brand book with each issue. The magazine itself clocked in at over 530 pages, and I recall seeing the rather oversized ELLE Japon piled up in bookstores.

(Continued on 7/12. Editor-in-Chief changes from Mori Akiko to Tsukamoto Kaori.)