<span class="gmail_quote"></span><span class="q">J@pan Inc Newsletter<br><br>The 'JIN' Japan Inc Newsletter<br>A weekly opinion piece on social, economic and political trends<br>in Japan.<br>Issue No. 436 Wednesday October 17, 2007, Tokyo
<br><br></span>Virtual communities in Japan
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<br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br></span>[Article starts...]<div><span class="e" id="q_115ab2a997e5133d_4"><br><br>Any consumer project in Japan with the potential to make a few<br>yen, quickly attracts the attention of advertising giant Dentsu.
<br>It wouldn't be right to say that having Dentsu take an interest<br>in a company means that it has reached any special degree of <br>success--Dentsu make it their job to take an interest in pretty<br>much everyone in the market--but, it is probably fair to say that
<br>when Dentsu start providing some decent revenue for a company, <br>its chances of survival in Japan are that much greater.<br><br>Clearly perceived as a big hit with the Japanese consumer, <br>virtual community Second Life attracted the attention of Dentsu
<br>even before it launched in Japan earlier this year. Dentsu had <br>already founded their 'Second Life Study Association and <br>Second Life Laboratory Japan'--essentially a market entry <br>consultancy for Japanese businesses wanting to set up in the
<br>virtual world. <br><a href="http://www.dentsu.com/news/2007/pdf/2007011-0208.pdf" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">http://www.dentsu.com/news/2007/pdf/2007011-0208.pdf</a> <br>They then developed their own section of the Japan version of
<br>the world in creating Virtual Tokyo. Activated this summer,
<br>users can already go shopping in virtual Shibuya, visit <br>fashion stores such as Cecile in virtual Ginza and even do <br>some real trading in the simulated financial district.<br><br>Since then, there has been a massive growth of interest in the
<br>programme. Earlier this month Mizuho Bank launched a Second Life<br>Ferris wheel and AFP reported this week that Japanese scientists<br>have developed a unit that allow avatars to be controlled by <br>brain waves as they traverse through the virtual environment.
<br>A group of innovators at Keio University (which incidentally <br>has a Second Life campus) came up with the application via <br>their research into neuro-rehabilitation for those suffering <br>from paralysis. (To see a video of this in action visit:
<br><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhCBZcq58c0" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhCBZcq58c0</a>)<br>In fact, even an Upper House lawmaker has started to campaign on
<br>Second Life thus getting around laws that prevent him from
<br>conventional online canvassing. <br><a href="http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20070619zg.html" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20070619zg.html
</a><br><br>Another normal consequence of Dentsu taking an interest in a
<br>company is that suddenly there appears to be an abundance of<br>media interest in them--Second Life have certainly had good <br>coverage in Japan. All the major TV channels, newspapers and<br>magazines have now run Second Life stories and according to
<br>Reuters, who have their own Second Life News Center, Japan has<br>slowly been creeping up the top ten user countries list. <br>Another source lists them as high as third. <br><br>[Continued below...]<br><br>-----------------------------------------------------------
<br>Bargain Prices Expire for Foreign Nationals in Japan<br><br>If you are a foreign national living in Japan, you will no<br>longer have the option to obtain American life insurance<br>coverage after October 2007. Japanese life insurance is
<br>considerably more expensive than a similar policy from an<br>American company.<br>This option for foreign nationals is possible only until<br>October 31, 2007. <br><br>After this date, Transamerica Occidental Life will not accept
<br>any new applications from expatriates in Japan.<br>A sample monthly premium for a 35 year old male for<br>US$1 million is US$35.88.<br>For the same coverage for a 45 year old male is US$61.25,<br>and for a 55 year old male is US$154.88.
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Response@pacificbridge.net</a><br>-----------------------------------------------------------
<br><br>[...Article continues]<br><br>However, there appears to be a fair amount of competition on the<br>horizon. In particular, there has lately been a lot of media <br>hype about a homegrown competitor named named 'Meet-me'--a
<br>virtual community tailored specially for Japan. Set up by <br>digital marketing company Transcosmos Inc, this virtual <br>community strongly resembles Tokyo and the sun rises<br>and sets in real Toyko time. Transcosmos head Kunimasa Hamaoka
<br>has been frank about the differences between Meet-me and its <br>more famous rival. He emphasises that the world of Second Life <br>is too dangerous for Japanese culture and that their version has<br>more of a 'sense of safety,' meaning that it will resemble
<br>Disneyland rather than any harsher reality. Officially opening <br>in December, 'Meet-me' will soon be ready complete with <br>Christmas lights and of course, shopping cybermalls and <br>entertainment districts. How long before Dentsu start to take
<br>an interest in them?<br><br>'Meet-me' is the the latest in a long line of Asian competitors<br>to Second Life. Earlier this year Splume (<a href="http://www.splume.com" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">
www.splume.com</a>) was<br>launched in Japan, a virtual fantasy land that sets itself up as
<br>an environment that is much more user created than other<br>applications and, SonyCorp's virtual 'Home' will be launched <br>next year. A similar programme has also been established<br>in China named HiPiHi which might actually give Second Life a
<br>run for its money:<br><a href="http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/005657.html" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/005657.html</a>
<br><br>So, it seems like the virtual community scene is alive and <br>
kicking in this part of the world but, if living lives through <br>avatars is going to be as big and common a development as the <br>internet, it still has a long way to go. By 2011, one <br>research firm predicts that 80% of the people using the internet
<br>will also have another life in a virtual world. This is hard to <br>imagine at the moment however, presumably such movements always <br>are, and one would be forgiven for thinking that if Dentsu are <br>taking something seriously, so should we.
<br><br>Today, one Second Life Linden Dollar is equivalent to 0.434 yen.<br>(<a href="http://secondlife.reuters.com/" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">http://secondlife.reuters.com/</a>
)<br><br>By Peter Harris<br>Chief Editor<br><br>Want to comment? It is now even easier to voice your opinion
<br>than ever before! Simply visit <a href="http://www.japaninc.com/jin436" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">www.japaninc.com/jin436</a> and<br>post a comment below the article. Alternatively, you can email
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<br><br>++EVENTS<br>------------------- ICA Event - Oct 18 --------------------<br><br>SPECIAL JOINT EVENT with the AUSTRALIAN NEW ZEALAND CHAMBER<br><br>Speaker: Robert Burnside - President, Empowr<br>Topic: Using 'Stories' to Create Winning Presentations
<br><br>Details: Complete event details at <a href="http://www.icajapan.jp/" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">http://www.icajapan.jp/</a><br>(RSVP Required)<br>Date: Thursday, October 18, 2007
<br>Time: 6:30 Doors open, Light buffet, soft drinks included<br>
Cost: 3,000 yen (members), 5,500 yen (non-members)<br><br>Open to all-venue is The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan<br><br>-----------------------------------------------------------
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