Apple Launches Japanese iTunes Music Store

At long last, Apple Computer has launched the Japanese version of the iTunes Music Store. But will Japanese music-lovers be willing to pay more than $0.99 a song?

More than two years after introducing its digital music download service in the United States, Apple Computer has launched a Japanese version of the iTunes Music Store. Apple worked with more than a dozen Japanese companies (alongside international distributors) to provide music for the store from both international acts and Japanese artists, and the new service launches with more than 1 million songs available for purchase. But unlike the U.S. version of the store, where tracks are consistently priced at $0.99, songs in the Japanese version of the store are priced at ¥150, with roughly ten percent of the available tracks commanding a higher ¥200 price tag