Japan Media Review Update: September 6, 2004

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

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

Iraqi TV Crews to Train in Japan
From The Japan Times: According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government is offering Iraqi television staff members, diplomats and athletes training in Japan, in the hope of developing good relations with Iraqis. Eleven television crews from the Muthanna TV Broadcasting Station, a public station in Al-Muthanna, the southern Iraqi province where troops from Japan's Self-Defense Force are stationed, arrived in Japan Aug. 30 and are scheduled to learn professional broadcast techniques in training sessions that run through Oct. 8.
-- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori

Softbank Introduces Software-on-Demand
From Webpronews.com: Softbank BB, Japan's largest broadband Internet provider, has launched a service that will deliver software to subscribers' computers on demand. But rather than installing the programs on their computers, users will be able to stream from the service provider, eliminating the need for lengthy installation procedures. The streaming system will also allow users to try software on a time-limited basis before they buy it. The monthly subscription fee for a single program will be between 100 and 500 yen ($.90-$4.53).
-- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken

DSL in Tokyo: Cheaper, Faster
From Kyodo News via Yahoo Asia News: According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications, the monthly charge of ADSL broadband access in Tokyo is the lowest of six select major cities in the world. The average monthly fee for ADSL services in Tokyo was 3,325 yen ($30.12) as of March 31 -- half of the average cost in New York ($60.21) and London ($60.05). A ministry official said the reason behind the lower prices is fierce competition among Japanese ADSL providers. The survey also indicates that ADSL users in Tokyo receive a transfer speed of 40 Mbps (megabits per second), while services in the other five cities in Europe and the United States normally have a speed of 3 Mbps. Besides Tokyo, New York and London, the other cities in the study were Paris, Geneva and Dusseldorf.
-- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori

Eye-Track System Measures Web Design Effectiveness
From JCN Network: The Japan Consumer Marketing Research Institute says it will begin offering a computer-based eye-tracking service to its customers, allowing them better insight into how users interact with their Web sites and facilitating better design. "With the ever evolving Eye-Tracking technology, we are able to directly observe and record how the eyes of a consumer move when viewing a Web site, product package, TV commercial, and print media," said JMCR's Richard F. May. Eye-tracking studies have many marketing and design applications. By studying where users' eyes move on the screen, companies can determine which parts of their sites are receiving the most attention and which are being missed.
-- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken