Japan Media Review Update: October 26, 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

Sony's Mobile Console Goes Beyond Gaming
From Newsweek: The new Sony PlayStation Portable, which left tech geeks drooling at its recent Tokyo Game Show debut, won't be just for videogames. Sony envisions the PSP will have wireless connectivity, stream TV programs, display photos, and play movies and music. And it also may be used as a voice-over-Internet phone. The console, with its wide display screen and "jumbo Hershey bar" size, will go on the market in Japan later this year with a price tag under $300. On the downside, movie viewing might be compromised by the PSP's insufficient battery life, and concerns over illegal content sharing could limit the device's full potential.
-- By Japan Media Review Managing Editor Shellie Branco

Yahoo Japan Earnings Up 62 Percent
From AFP via The Sydney Morning Herald: Citing increased broadband use and better advertising revenue, Yahoo Japan reported a six-month net profit of 16.9 billion yen ($155 million), up 62.2 percent from a year earlier. While earnings for the three-months period ending in September weren't as stellar as those for the previous quarter, the company's president and CEO, Masahiro Inoue, said Yahoo Japan was positioned for the long run. "I still see great growth potential in Yahoo Japan, and for long-term prosperity, we sacrifice short-term performance and increase outlays," Inoue said. Japanese Internet provider Softbank holds a 41.9 percent stake in Yahoo Japan.
-- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken

Google Execs Hit Tokyo to Promote Projects
From Mainichi Daily News: Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page promoted the establishment of a research center in Japan as well as other company projects in a visit to Tokyo this week. The two avoided discussing details about the center's opening date and when future products would be released. They said Google is interested in creating new mobile Internet services and is also quickly developing a Japanese version of its desktop search, which hit international markets in mid-October. The Japanese research center could also create products for the many other countries served by the internationally popular search engine.
-- By Japan Media Review Managing Editor Shellie Branco

Softbank Sues to Stop 3G Plan
From AFP via Yahoo Asia News: Internet provider Softbank has filed suit to block a government plan for divvying up wireless bandwidth, arguing the proposal would shut it out of the market for mobile high-speed data services until 2012. The system proposed by the Japanese government to allocate frequencies for "third-generation" mobile technology unfairly favors the country's two largest wireless carriers, NTT DoCoMo and KDDI, the suit said. In addition to its wireless aspirations, Softbank, one of Japan's top Internet providers, is challenging DoCoMo parent NTT in the landline telephone market.
-- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken