Illegal copying is claimed to be costing software developers $1 billion per year, yet Japan has some of the world's most stringent copyright laws. Are Japanese software market prices so high because piracy is rampant, or is illegal copying so prevalent because market prices are too high? And what are the Japanese government and industry groups doing to address the problem?

by Cheryl Hill

Strategies for the Japanese OS Market

Japan's fast-growing PC market presents a lucrative opportunity for operating system (OS) vendors. This month, Computing Japan takes a look at what Microsoft, IBM, and Apple are doing to try to capture the loyalties of Japanese PC users, and what products they are pushing.

by Steven Myers and R. A. Lemos

Japan's Computer Industry: Detroit Revisited?

Japan has been a renowned success in industrial production, but the successful approach to hardware manufacturing can't be carried over to software production. Is the Japanese computer industry following the same ruinous path as the American automobile industry of the 1970s?

by Scott Nash

Interview: Microsoft - Using the Western Model to Win in the Japanese Software Market

This month, Makoto Naruke, President of Microsoft Co., Ltd, talks with Computing Japan about why Microsoft has been so successful in the Japanese market, and what is wrong with the Japanese software industry.

by Terrie Lloyd

The DVD Battle: Deja Vu, Digital-style

Some industry pundits have likened the ongoing battle over digital video disc (DVD) standards to the Betamax-VHS videocassette showdown of the late seventies. There are obvious similarities, but key differences suggest that the outcome is more predictable.

by R. A. Lemos

The Emerging PC Market in Vietnam
Hardware vendors profit at software makers' expense

With a 2,000% growth in installed PC base in just two years, Vietnam is at last entering the computer age. But while foreign hardware makers scramble to grab a piece of the market-share pie, software vendors are left with the crumbs.

by James LaLonde

Repetitive Strain Injury: The Hidden Workplace Danger

The number of cases of Repetitive Strain Injury, a crippling work-related condition, is on the increase in Japan. Many employers, however, still refuse to admit that condition exists.

by Thomas Caldwell