June 2000 Issue

On the cover: Thanks to Kyoko Fujimoto and Makiko Sugawara.

"Suddenly, anytime, you can get a message into your pocket -- a direct link from advertiser to consumer. That is mind boggling."

June 2000
No. 8

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June 2000 Issue

Features
	The Online Auto Scene in Japan To even think about getting into this arena, you need to know the rules of the road. Dealers' lives are pretty much dictated by the carmakers. A few startups, however, are burning rubber and raising hell.

	Unwired: Japan Has the Future in Its Pocket Japan may be a few years behind the US when it comes to the Net in general, but when it comes to the wearable wireless Web, it's already won the ballgame.

	Hooking Up the Boxes Japan's electronics giants are plugging into the network economy by hooking up the boxes they've been making for years. Surely those who praise hard industries would approve of this approach to the new order.

	A Day in the Life of a Netpreneur Takao Ozawa, the young Japanese president of e-commerce site Bizseek, lets us follow him around for a day. This guy could really use a nap.

Filter
	Court Rules a Link to Porn Illegal Japan Rules Hyperlinking Illegal, In Some Cases

	Two New Books Cover e-Japan Reviews: Two New Japanese Books Covering the New Economy

	Mobile Access Services Get Clogged up Clogged Arteries Slow the Wireless Web

People
	John Sasaki This young Silicon Valley lawyer -- and second-generation Japanese-American -- sees the promise and the perils of Japan's emerging new economy.

	Toru Arakawa When he was just 19 he started his own business. Now he's the CEO of Access, which makes the browser for i-mode.

	Kimindo Kusaka This highly regarded futurist and author -- little known outside Japan -- says this country is simply retooling the traits that created its economic success up to the 90s.

Columns
	Inside Eye Japan's future billionaires don't have much use for traditional zaibatsu banks. They can deal instead with digital institutions anywhere around the world.

	The J-Files The traditional ryotei -- the high-class, highly discreet dining places of the barons of business and politics -- are in danger. It would be a tragedy if this form of entertainment were lost.

	Joi's Diary The only reason I pay taxes in Japan is because I like the culture and the food. If it weren't for these, I probably would have move to the US a long time ago.

Research
	Sustained Recovery in Consumer Demand? Don't hold your breath.

	Statistics (PDF-formatted file, Acrobat 4.0 or later required) Everything you ever wanted to know about Japan's relationship with this new thing called e-commerce. What online shoppers here want, hate, and respond to.

Investor
	Neoteny adds philosophy to incubating Internet startups.

	EOsites Taps Anime Craze An anime-ated startup called EOsites is getting ready to exploit one of Japan's biggest untapped emarkets: the frenzy for anime, and related products.

	Hikari Crash Was Avoidable The company just needed to be more aware, vigilant, and open with itself and investors.

	Square Co. Square Co. is the maker of the Final Fantasy series, of which it's sold more than 25 million units worldwide. Now it's moving into network gaming. Does it bring enough kick to this new contest?

In Parting
	Art Department If you need a dose of postmodern irony, look no further than the work of Yasumasa Morimura -- or should we say Marilyn Morimura Monroe?

	Blowfish Shame on me, shame on you. What sort of thing are Japanese males most likely to find more embarrassing than a woman in the same situation? A poll by the Hakuhodo Institute of Life and Living discovered that 63.5 percent of males questioned said they didn't want to be seen eating alone in a Japanese-style sweets parlor. Another 13.5 percent said they would find it embarrassing to wear their wedding ring constantly. (Among women, the figure was just 1.1 percent.) The top five acts most likely to cause a lady to blush hotly were renting an adult video (97.7 percent), picking up and reading a discarded newspaper off the train's overhead rack (96.8 percent), entering a love hotel (94.7 percent), buying a contraceptive device (89.3 percent), and eating soba standing up (78.1 percent). Guess the latter, like use of a urinal, is still regarded as a male preserve.