Japanese publishers need help

Last Monday, I wrote about the Web 2.0 Asia blog's postings from Japan. I also wrote about in an Insight for EPS in London. In that piece, I said that I thought this represented a major challenge for Japan's powerful but very traditional publishers. Now Chang has posted on the same topic.

His post is titled "Want to become rich? Help the Japanese print media industry embrace online". His basic point is "In this age of distributed media economy, Japanese print media industry will eventually have to embrace the power of distributed media in one way or another. And there will be a huge business opportunity coming from that transition". I couldn't agree more.

The post coincides with one from IDG's Colin Crawford who notes:

The distribution of media continues to proliferate via all forms of appliances - connected personal devices such as the game changing iPhone and other smart communication devices, personal digital devices; various forms of ultra portable PCs such as the Ultra Mobile Personal Computer (UMPC); connected entertainment devices such as the Sansa Connect and potentially, future wireless devices supporting information display via electronic paper.

Again, very much in line with my thinking and of huge significance to Asia where Japan has been at the cutting edge of mobile information for 10 years and where, as I've said before, China's 400 - 500 million mobile users represent an opportunity the surface of which B2B information providers have only just begun to scratch.