Tokyo - Japanese wireless carrier Softbank will sell Apple's 8GB iPhone starting at 23,040 yen (about $214.60) next month, with monthly service fees estimated at 7,280 yen (about $67.50). "We expect the first lot to evaporate instantly. We in the company will probably fight to get one as well," Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son told Reuters. "Supplies will likely be scarce for a while."

Beijing - Japan's Softbank has led a $430 million investment that will give the group a 35% stake in Oak Pacific Interactive (OPI), which manages Xiaonei.com, China's largest social networking site.

Tokyo - Disney (NYSE: DIS) has partnered with Softbank to launch a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) service in Japan, featuring handsets manufactured by Sharp that feature Mickey Mouse and buttons that lead directly to Disney content, AFP reports. The launch of a Disney-branded MVNO service in Japan follows several unsuccessful similar efforts in the U.S., with the failed Disney Mobile and ESPN Mobile services.

Tokyo - Apple (NASD: AAPL) is in talks with rival Japanese mobile operators DoCoMo and Softbank on launching its iPhone in Japan, but both companies are unhappy with the cut of subscriber revenue that Apple is demanding, sources from the companies told Reuters.