>We have found that not having a .co.jp domain is not a hindrance to doing
>net business in Japan. Since many Japanese know how difficult and
>expensive it is to host in Japan, they "accept" .com's. Many just want the
>information in Japanese at a fair price.
Bill, thanks for your comments. Your statement above supports my point that
the business structure in Japan doesn't "get" the net yet. If .jp domains
are too expensive or if they can't get the name they want, they can simply
go elsewhere. My point is that since the net is borderless, businesses can
go anywhere they want to set up a site. It seems foolish to try to create a
cartel monopoly to charge high hosting fees and us domain registration as a
lever.
I saw a similar situation in Singapore a few years ago. Singare web hosting
costs were VERY high (still are) compared to the US. Web hosts in Singapore
would urge me to host with them, but could not give me one valid reason why
I should when I could host much cheaper and receive more services in the
States or elsewhere.
With that kind of attitude, other countries will lose the hosting business
they want to keep.
>The fee structure in the US was designed to stimulate growth by offering
>inexpensive registration. Many other countries charge high fees for
>domains. According to JPNIC it is 30,000 yen. Six months ago that would
>be $500.00. Today it is $206.00 for the same thing. Many do not take into
>account the yen/dollar conversion rate. Since they are "favoring"
>corporations, 30,000 yen is not too expensive.
"Favoring" corporations is simply going to slow net usage. It's a mistake.
And $206 is still far more than elsewhere.
>Growth of net in Japan:
>
>Japan is the second largest Internet market outside of the US. Numbers
>range from 7 million to 11 million users. Many people share accounts. For
>a country where Internet users have to pay about $1.50 to $2.50 per minute
>for telephone access that is another tremendous fact.
Yes, as usual, the Japanese consumer is getting screwed by Japanese
businesses. Even allowing for yen conversion, that's an outrageous cost.
Until very recently, the Japanese telephone system was still a monopoly,
right? And I hear that, effectively, it still is.
>Here is the area of debate. Japan is far behind the US in terms of
>corporate web sites. In a recent discussion with execs from Dentsu in Japan
>(Worlds largest advertising agency) they told me the biggest problems with
>companies wanting to use the net in Japan is that there may be channel
>violations. I.e. they have given territories to certain distributors and
>the net will cross them.
This is an issue for any online company in the world that has distributors.
It doesn't wash as an objection to setting up a site, IMO.
>They never told us in the article if those two companies were registered
>entities in Japan. There are problems with the system but I do not think
>that we should require the rest of the world to adopt our Internet policies
>and pricing.
My point is that basically, the rest of the world will have no choice to go
along with how things are being done here. The net is a US phenomenon. It
was eagerly embraced because entrance costs were kept low and govt.
inolvement was minimal. By it's very nature, pricing on the net is not
constrained by borders. It is old-style thinking (which I am NOT accusing
you of! :) to imagine that borders make much difference online.
I am NOT getting on a soapbox and saying how everything should be done the
American way. That's nonsense. I'm only saying that, in this case, the
reality is that everything will be done the American way. If countries like
Japan insist on clinging to old business practices, it will only result in
their being left behind. Their current economic predicament is in part due
to this same issue.
>Many countries do not want to deal with the problems with
>domains we have had here in the US. I have not personally seen the
>requirement to host with a Japanese ISP.
I think the domain problems in the US have been minor compared to the
enormous growth that resulted because of the wide open domain registration
policies that have been in place. For a little pain, we got a lot of gain...
>I am not trying to support the Japanese practices but just to offer a more
>"balanced" set of comments that tell the whole picture.
Bill, again, your comments are appreciated! Thanks.
Barry
Barry <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Web Design & Development - Online Marketing <http://www.ToTheWeb.com>
In a world without walls or fences, what use do we have for windows or gates?
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