Nihon Keizai Shimbun (The Nikkei) [Wikipedia], one of the most influential industrial newspaper in Japan, who had declared its digital version launch plan for this spring on its January 3rd newspaper, seems to set its starting time and fee plan, according to multiple sources.

Both February issue of Facta magazine [J, magazine subscription required] and MyCom Journal column [J] reported that the internally announced the Nikkei’s digital version plan.

According to them, the “Digital Version” of the Nikkei will launch in March. Current paper subscribers, who are paying 4,300 yen (47.7 USD) per month for morning and evening papers, can also read the online version on the web by paying extra 1,000 yen (11.1 USD). If you only need the online access, monthly subscription fee will be 4,000 yen (44.4 USD) per month. The subscription fee will be basically charged by credit card.

The number of paper subscribers is about 3 million. (by Nikkei [J])

MyCom wrote that Nikkei can differentiate the new online paid site from the current Nikkei Net, which is totally free, by providing dedicated cellular phone site, access to company database and past articles search (most of Japanese newspaper’s online site remove their past news from the web after few weeks).

Nikkei’s image of digital version used on their last year’s article

Nikkei also wrote that the online version will have by-user based article recommendation, personalized targeting ads as well.

Tags: Japan, News by Akky Akimoto
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One of the most read Japanese business magazine (such like Forbes or Businessweek), Shuukan Daiyamondo(Weekly Diamond) January 23th 2010 issue,
featured Twitter as a special topic for 40 pages.

Both of the cover of the magazine and the first page of the featured section, thousands of Japanese Twitter user icons, which had been called for on Twitter by the magazine’s Twitter account @diamondweekly, are used.

The title of the special coverage is “2010 nen Twitter no Tabi”(2010 A Twitter Odyssey).

That issue was said to be sold out on many book stores supported by hype on Japanese Twitter. Reprinted was announced [J].

As well as NHK’s big coverage in October, appearing on the magazine shows that Twitter is penetrating into elders, over 40 years old, earning 6 digits (8 digits in Japanese yen), decision makers (according to the magazine’s media sheet [J, pdf]).

Tags: Japan, Trend by Akky Akimoto
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Although Amazon Kindle is possible to order from Japan, Kindle and its backend do not support Japanese font well yet. Support for Japanese publishers in Japanese are not prepared, too.

So, most Japanese people who currently own Kindle are gadget fans, English-savvy or for research purpose.

And some people see potential on the device and the platform. There are some self publishers put their Japanese novels as image files. If it has to be image for Japanese, maybe image contents are more familiar. Monochrome image contents popular for Japanese is… yes, manga cartoon.

Ume, a cartoonist unit of OZAWA Takahiro and SEO Asako [J], known by “Giga-Tokyo Toybox series”, experimentally published their short manga “Aozora Finder Rock“, which probably is the first Japanese manga in Japanese for Japanese readers on Kindle Store for $2.99.

It is pity that it costs $4.99 from Japan because of additional $2.00 for international users. If Amazon will start same level support in Japanese market, Kindle could be a good challenger against paid digital manga on Japanese cellphones.

See Also:

A Japanese blogger Hide’s report how he published Japanese novel as image [J]

Ume’s twitter [J]

Ume’s Dai Tokyo Toybox in Japanese on Amazon Japan

Tags: Japan, USA by Akky Akimoto
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Twitter has turned on official retweet button for Japanese users. You could use it by changing your menu language with English, but most Japanese users see this button first this week.

The label of the retweet button in Japanese is “リツイート” which just show its English sound in Japanese katakana (phonogramic alphabet). Japanese localization staff avoid to make translated word for the concept.

On Twitter Japan Official Blog, they translate Twitter co-founder Evan Williams’ long message [J] to explain why this official retweet is introduced.

As Japanese Twitter users are already confused by unofficial “RT” and locally suggested “QT” (see Satomi Ichimura’s explanation), and some tools already support this “QT”, it is inevitable to cause controversy among users. “RT” is being on the top of Twitter buzzword in Japanese.

In nature, Japanese can convey more than doubled information with the same 140 letters than English, so many of Japanese tweets have more room to add comments with “unofficial” RT. Many Japanese Twitter users get used to tweet non-demanding reply by using RT (or QT by some people).

See Also:

Japanese diagram by Rikuo: official RT, RT and QT difference [J]

Tweets record how QT was proposed to Japanese users [J]

Tags: Japan by Akky Akimoto
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NEC Biglobe, one of the largest Japanese ISP/portal releases iPhone app “Push-Ups Dojo” to count, record and share (of course, on Twitter) your push-ups.

I am sure that there are already many exercise recording iPhone apps. This one directly uses iPhone’s touch panel as a counting sensor. You need to touch the iPhone on the floor with your nose (or chin?) to count.

Move instruction is here.

Get Biglobe Push-Ups app [iTunes Store]

Our favourite trickster Kayac also made the similar one (without Twitter linkage) half an year ago.

Push-Up from KAYAC inc. on Vimeo.

Get Kayac’s Push-Ups app [iTunes Store]

Both might be inspired by a popular Japanese TV program on which athletes compete in several different exercise program. There is a replica of the push-ups switch from the program sold by Konami in Japan.

Tags: Japan by Akky Akimoto
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