January 2001 Issue

On the cover: Hired actors playing their parts on our FreeHand stage. By Andrew Pothecary

January 2001
No. 15

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January 2001 Issue

In Touch
	From the Editor A quote I don't want you to miss. About the misconception that Japanese are not creative.

Features
	Host Nation Internet data centers are flocking to Japan, the world's second-largest Net market. With electronic and mobile commerce taking off here, they all want a piece of the action.

	Veni, Vedi, Vended Vending machines in Japan have been famous forever, but wait till you see their latest offerings.

	Clash Course Japan is running out of workers, and it already faces a critical shortage of IT talent. As more foreigners come here to work and live, this country -- and its new residents -- are in for plenty of culture shock.

Filter
	3G Cellular Set For Take-Off The speed, the handsets, the content developers, Java, the infrastructure, the batteries, the prices -- third-generation cellular is nearly upon us, but tracking its development can make your head spin. Plus: pics of cool new 3G handset mockups.

	Different Approaches To Wireless A clever chart demonstrates how Europe and the US have approached the mobile Net differently than Japan -- and why cellphones here are cooler.

	Domain Name Org Gets Greedy The helmsmen of Japan's Internet had an opportunity to steer clear of the monied shoals. They blew it.

	Five Wireless Myths Dispelled Kazutomo R. Hori, CEO of mobile content provider and consultancy Cybird, sets the record straight on Japan's wireless Web.

People
	John Nesheim He wrote the book on going public in the US. What are his thoughts on Japan's venture scene? We asked him on his recent trip here.

	Arka Roy Currently at work on a new title for the PlayStation2, this Seamen veteran shares his knowledge and experience on being a game developer in Tokyo.

Columns
	VC Outlook Partial foreign ownership in Japan's tech startups will lead to greater disclosure, a global perspective, and more flexible, accountable management.

	Joi's Diary Met Gnutella founder Gene Kan. I remember when I was always the youngest and most radical. Not anymore, I guess.

Research
	Statistics (PDF-formatted file, Acrobat 4.0 or later required) On the shortage of IT workers in Japan, the market here for networked home appliances, and what worries Japan's Internet users.

Investor
	Special Report: Biotech A-Brewin' After dominating in the '60s, Japan's biotech players lost their way. Does the mapping of the human genome offer a route back to respectability? Plus: Biotech VC Eugene Satoshi Takagi explains his efforts to kickstart Japan's biotech venture community.

	Gulfnet Goes Nose-To-Nose With NTT Its VPN business exists due to NTT's exorbitant telecom fees. Will the telco monolith let this startup survive?

	On Our Radar Screen Ventures we're keeping an eye on. This month: Outdoor Japan, Magic Software Japan.

	Life And Death Startup WiLLifFE wants to use the Net to improve all the key aspects of users' lives -- and deaths.

In Parting
	Art Department MIT professor John Maeda's art mixes freedom and form. A ten-year retrospective of his work shows how he does it.

	Blowfish If Tokyo were to secede and mint its own money, goes one theory, its currency would enjoy an exchange rate some 20 percent stronger than the yen.