Japan Media Review Update: October 27, 2003

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

MEDIA
Smaller Japanese Markets Are Warming Up to Convergence
From the shores of Hiroshima to the foot of Mount Fuji, local newspapers andtelevision stations are hoping that convergence can help them survive tougheconomic times and increased competition from the Internet, cable and othermedia industries. By Bruce Rutledge http://www.japanmediareview.com/japan/home/section.php

The above piece and other related materials are found in Japan Media Review (www.JapanMediaReview.com).

BRIEFS

The following briefs are posted at: http://www.japanmediareview.com/japan/digest/digest.php

Record TV Shows at Home, Watch Them on a Cell Phone Later
Cell phone users can now record analog terrestrial TV programming with a newapplication from Memory Stick, a manufacturer of portable memory cards.According to Japan Corporate News Network, the "Mobile Movie" applicationallows users to play back recorded video on an array of mobile MemoryStick-compatible devices, including a mobile phone from KDDI Corp. andOkinawa Cellular Telephone Co. unveiled recently at an annual Tokyoelectronics show. Other Memory Stick applications include still images andmusic recording and playback. Memory Stick plans to expand to a greaterrange of in-car devices and other mobile products in Japan and overseas.
- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Shellie Branco

Japanese Advertisers Spending More on TV, Less on Newspapers and Online
Online advertising spending in Japan declined 15 percent in 2002, accordingto the Dentsu Advertising Agency's annual survey. As the United Kingdom'sDaily Research News Online reports, Dentsu also reported that advertisingspending in newspapers decreased by 11 percent and TV by about 6 percent.Overall, ad spending in Japan decreased by 5.9 percent, despite a temporaryboost from the Winter Olympics and the World Cup. And ads for electronicsincreased, while ads for information and communication decreased by around19 percent.
- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Shellie Branco

Commentary:
Web-based Campaigns for Japan?
While the Public Offices Election Law will be amended to allow Japanesepolitical parties to distribute manifestos in brochure form, the more urgentreform in campaign rules is to permit use of the Internet, The Asahi Shimbunreports. In the United States and South Korea, the Internet has proven to bea powerful medium to gain support for presidential and congressionalcampaigns. Yet Web-based campaigning is illegal in Japan, where more than 50million people use the Internet. All major political parties have their ownWeb sites to report their political activity and Diet deliberations arefrequently presented on live Webcasts in Japan. Two years ago the DemocraticParty of Japan suggested that the ban on Internet campaigning should beended. Opponents within the Liberal Democratic Party say that use of theInternet could encourage slander. Last year, the Ministry of PublicManagement, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications reported that the Webwould serve as a good communication tool for candidates to describe theirpolitical positions in more detail. The study also suggested that aWeb-based campaign would be more cost-effective than traditional telephonecampaigns.
- By Japan Media Review Associate Editors Keiko Mori and Zhen Wang