Apple has officially launched the iTunes Music Store in Japan ending months of speculation as to if and when the market leading download platform would arrive there. The Japanese iTunes was a long time coming because of reported difficulties in negotiating contracts with the record labels there, but in Tokyo yesterday Apple boss Steve Jobs put all that behind him, telling reporters: "iTunes and iPod are leading the digital music revolution. We are thrilled to be bringing the iTunes Music Store to Japan, and hope music fans here love it as much as others around the world do."
Meanwhile Napster have also announced it is there intention to launch in Japan within the next year. They have confirmed a new joint venture with Tower Records Japan which will be used to launch their business there. Reports suggest TRJ will put a considerable investment into the Japanese version of the subscription-model download platform, taking a majority equity stake in the business. Confirming the partnership, TRJ's CEO Hiroyuki Fushitani told reporters: "The decision to partner with Napster was very simple. We believe subscription will be the digital music business model of the future and Napster Japan will expedite our entry into the digital music industry".