Japan asks "Can we start again, please?"

[Mulboyne]

(reprised)
Mainichi: Japanese government to host study group on Internet search engine
Japan will look into launching its own Internet search engine, a government official said, but he [would not] say if it is part of a strategy to take on powerhouses Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will kick off a study group consisting about 20 Japanese electronics companies and universities on Internet search engines, said Fumihiro Kajikawa..."The group will look into issues including whether Japan will start its own search engine," he said. The group plans to look into developing a search engine for pictures, the official added..."It is not that we want to play against (Google and Yahoo). We are thinking of something that's unique to Japan," he said.

[emperor]

...the group plans to look into developing a search engine for pictures...We are thinking of something that's unique to Japan...

100% Opaqued Genitals Guarantee

[jim katta]

This is amazing. Japan does this with everything. There always has to be a special japan version. I think the bubble/isolation mentality of Japan is chronic and we should all just finally accept that japan wants to be left the fuck alone.

I mean really, a global search engine specific to japan?

[Neo-Rio]

This is amazing. Japan does this with everything. There always has to be a special japan version. I think the bubble/isolation mentality of Japan is chronic and we should all just finally accept that japan wants to be left the fuck alone.

Despite the fact that this really smacks of "me, too!"-ism, would you think that it's the fact that Japanese are insular and insecure which causes them to attempt some of the nonsense they try and pull - often successfully?

[skyengines]

And one of its chief purposes will be monitoring electronic traffic and search terms.

[Big Booger]

no one will use it and it will die... quickly. Or at least I hope so..

[Socratesabroad]

no one will use it and it will die... quickly. Or at least I hope so..

I'm praying the same for Baidu, the Chinese crap knockoff of Google. Tons of ads, restricted searching (don't use any gov't banned search terms), and unwanted pop-ups - I'm hoping they die a quick and painful death.

[Neo-Rio]

I'm hoping they die a quick and painful death.

See, that's just the problem. You can't have a quick, painful death. The most painful deaths are long, slow, and agonizing. Quick deaths are relatively painless.

[IkemenTommy]

And who's going to fund it all... the good old proud J citizens.. and tax paying gaijins like you and I. You know that they are going to have all the misfundings, corruptions, money laundering, wasteful expenses, etc etc.. the usual suspects. It sounds like another wasteful J government spending just to fuel those lifetime bureaucrats.

[Mulboyne]

Mainichi: 30 organizations to jointly develop new advanced Internet search engine

About 30 organizations in Japan, including major electronics and communications companies and the University of Tokyo, will jointly develop technology for a new advanced search engine, industry sources said. The government is poised to provide a subsidy for the large-scale project. The companies and organizations involved will set up a research institute on Friday at the earliest in a bid to put the new search engine into practical use within two years.

The companies that will participate in the project include Hitachi, Ltd., Fujitsu Ltd. and the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone group. Currently, three major U.S. Internet companies, Yahoo, Google and Microsoft, dominate the search engine market and have kept their search engine technology a secret. Many people in Japan fear that the domination of the three firms will prevent Japanese companies from entering the market. In response to the fear, the 30-odd organizations will jointly develop basic technology for a new search engine and release its details both in Japan and overseas to allow businesses to use the technology. User will be able to modify the technology to develop their own search engines to meet their needs, which researchers hope will lead to technological innovations.

[Mulboyne]

Bloomberg: Baidu Will Start Search Engine in Japan Next Year

Baidu.com Inc., China's biggest Internet-search company, will start operations in Japan next year, rivaling local-language services by Google Inc. and Yahoo! Inc. "Our proven strength in non-English language search, the high Internet penetration in Japan, as well as similarities between the Chinese and Japanese languages make this market an ideal next step for Baidu,'' Chief Executive Officer Robin Li said in a statement. Baidu's planned expansion into the world's second-biggest economy comes as the company faces mounting competition from Google and Yahoo for online advertising spending in China, the second-largest Internet market after the U.S...more...

[Mulboyne]

Bloomberg: Baidu Will Start Search Engine in Japan Next Year

BusinessWeek: Baidu Thinks It Can Play in Japan

Facing slower growth and increased competition at home, Baidu.com, the dominant search engine in China, is making its first foray overseas. On a call with analysts following the company's announcement of earnings for the fourth quarter, Baidu Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Robin Li said the company will spend $15 million trying to replicate its at-home success in Japan this year...The company started investing in Japan last year and management argues that the same magic that made Baidu.com tops in China will give Baidu.jp an edge in Japan...Some people who follow the industry believe that Baidu's strengths―]...more...[/URL]

[TFG]

This is probably due more to the Japanese government's Big Brother moving in with the right wing Abe clan. They want to find out what people are searching for and WHY?

[Mulboyne]

China's Baidu.com in domain dispute in Japan

Baidu.com Inc., often described as "China's Google," has bumped up against an obstacle that the real Google has long grown accustomed to: cybersquatters on its first overseas venture. Beijing-based Baidu, which controls more than half of the Web search market in China -- the world's second-largest after the United States -- last month started up Japanese portal http://www.baidu.jp as its first regular service outside its home market. But now it has a ghost: http://www.baidu.co.jp. The spartan Web site, which carries the name "CBC Company" in Japanese, has a note at the top on its front page that reads: "Our company has absolutely no connection with Japan Baidu K.K. and is a legal Japanese corporation." The page also offers four links to different units: an imported watches division, a used car division, a Chinese restaurant and an industrial waste division. The Web site carries a link to a Chinese translation, and another to a user log, which claimed that 160 users had clicked a total of 286 times on http://www.baidu.co.jp by midday on Monday. The Web site of the Japan Intellectual Property Arbitration Center (http://www.ip-adr.gr.jp) shows that Baidu lodged a complaint with the centre, which last month issued a ruling that the domain name should be transferred to Baidu. A Baidu representative declined to comment on Monday, and a CBC official could not be reached for comment...more...

[Mulboyne]

Tech-On has a four-part interview with Baidu's CEO here, here, here and here.