Japan Media Review Update: August 12, 2003

JMR Staff (Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California)

New Privacy Laws Threaten Magazines
The laws mean companies collecting 'personal information' must notify the people whose data is being collected, and must tell them why their data is being collected. Magazine publishers worry the laws will be used to prevent them from doing investigations.
By Bruce Rutledge.
http://www.ojr.org/japan/media/1060286367.php

A Decade of Mobile Communications
Ten years ago, the cell phone was a luxury item used by businessmen. Now just about everybody in Japan has a 'keitai,' and the ubiquitous little devices have transformed interpersonal communications. This essay by the inventor of the Personal Handyphone offers a look back over the brief history of the cell phone.
By Kenji Kohiyama.
http://www.ojr.org/japan/wireless/1059673699.php

The above pieces and other related materials are found in Japan Media Review (http://www.JapanMediaReview.com).

BRIEFS

The following briefs are posted at: ttp://64.87.25.234/ojc/topics/index.php?tID=40

Japan: New online storage service announced
2003-08-07 08:12:10
Internet Initiative Japan Inc. announces a new online storage system to be launched on August 20, 2003, reports Business Wire. The new system has a user-friendly GUI, allows uploads from remote locations and permits e-mail transfer of new and old media formats. It also offers custom domain names and encryption options for greater security. The service could be useful for any number of professionals requiring to share and store information and data from dispersed locations. IIJ charges an initial fee of $336.31 and a monthly fee of about $168. (perma-link to this brief)
- Anamika Wani, Managing Editor

Wireless Watch Japan site relaunched
2003-07-29 17:09:51
Wireless Watch Japan, a leading source of information on the business of wireless Internet in Japan, is back with a new Web site and URL, Japan Corporate News Network reports. Started as a free weekly mail'zine published via the Japan Inc magazine Web site in March 2001, Wireless Watch Japan (WWJ) has expanded and boasted over 2,500 subscribers by late 2002 and provided over 10,000 video streams a month. Due to this jump in popularity and demand for its niche content, the WWJ launched a new site and has remodeled itself on a pay-user revenue model. It also has discussion forums, weblogs and a PR posting service. The site aims to create "a global, mobile-industry-focused, Japan specific wireless community." (perma-link to this brief)
- Keiko Mori, Japan Media Review Staff Writer

E-newsletter distribution fits Japanese mentality
2003-07-23 19:16:56
MagMag Inc., an e-mail newsletter distribution business for newsletter publishers, has sent 25,355 e-mail newsletters at end of June 2003, reports Daily Yomiuri. Koichi Okawa, who launched the company in January 1997, is the man behind the very popular e-newletter company "MagMag" which has 25.5 million subscribers. Okawa explains the phenomenon that is still comparatively rare in other countries: "I think the concept of having information delivered by e-mail newsletters fits the Japanese mentality. I guess this stems from the number of people who have newspapers home-delivered" (see related story). (perma-link to this brief)Keiko Mori, Japan Media Review Staff Writer
- Zhen Wang

Japan: Govt asks site to remove sensitive info
2003-07-16 15:29:32
The Justice Ministry asked the operator of a popular Web site to delete certain bulletin board messages as a minor's human rights were being violated, reports Asahi Shimbun. The ministry's Human Rights Bureau e-mailed the operator of 2 Channel, which has about 4 million viewers in each month, to remove seven anonymous messages claiming to identify the 12-year-old boy suspected of abducting and murdering a 4-year-old boy in Nagasaki. The bureau official said that the seven messages "mentioned names of minors as the alleged suspect, which infringes on their human rights." One message posted to the bulletin board named a specific Nagasaki junior high school student while another included a class photograph with the claim that, "The assailant is among them.'' The ministry was unable to confirm if the message had been removed, because they could not reach management. Since 2002, the Internet has been the hotbed for rumors and the government has made over 75 requests to have information removed, only 25 sites have compiled with these requests. (perma-link to this brief)
- Keiko Mori, Japan Media Review Staff Writer
- Zhen Wang

Japan boasts impressive numbers for broadband
2003-07-03 01:14:23
A study reveals that in 2002, Japan had the second highest number of broadband connections worldwide, reports Yahoo News. Impress Corporation's "Internet White Paper 2003" shows that Japan, a former Internet laggard, had 14.85 million broadband Internet home users at the end of 2002. The United States topped the list with 18.5 million users. The study reports that just under 40% of Japanese Internet users had broadband connections as of February 2003, almost twice as much as figures for the same period in 2002. NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp) initially led the Internet and broadband revolution. The past year saw a new entrant, Softbank's Yahoo BB, which has challenged NTT's market position with aggressive marketing and cut-rate pricing of broadband access. (perma-link to this brief)
- Keiko Mori, Japan Media Review Staff Writer

Readership of Koizumi Cabinet's e-newsletter declines
2003-07-01 13:58:24
From Daily Yomiuri: The number of subscribers of the e-mail newsletter distributed by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Cabinet has fallen, as it fails to convey Koizumi's frank opinions to readers. At present it has only 1.8 million subscribers. Readership was high with its third issue, surpassing two million readers, despite their unfamiliarity with the new format. At the time, the Cabinet's popularity also weighted in its favor. The online media has played a critical role in promoting the Cabinet's policies, including the public's understanding of the Cabinet decision in allying with America during the Iraq war. However, the official content and bureaucratic tone of the newsletter led over 4 million people to cancel their subscriptions. Yoshihiro Oto, a media studies expert at Sophia University, suggests that the editors address the readers' dissatisfaction sincerely by explaining the process of policymaking, rather than repeating each ministry's policy, which is accessible in conventional government bulletin papers. The newsletter was launched in June 2001 and celebrated its 100th issue in June 2003. (perma-link to this brief)
- Yeon-Jung Yu
- Keiko Mori, Japan Media Review Staff Writer