Tokyo - Digital music sales in Japan during the second quarter grew 28% to $204.8 million, while total unit sales were up 7% to 119 million, Billboard reported, citing data from the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ).

Tokyo - The Japanese trade ministry is looking into the cause of three fires reportedly caused by overheated batteries in Apple (NASD: AAPL) iPod nano digital music players, Reuters reported. "We are not in the position to speculate on the outcome of the investigation. But after several incidents like these, it would be appropriate for Apple to take some measures to raise the public's awareness," a trade ministry official told Reuters.

Tokyo - Softbank, Apple's (NASD: AAPL) iPhone distribution partner in Japan, announced on Tuesday that it is lowering the cost of basic monthly service for the iPhone from about $67 to $27.60. The company achieved the cost reduction by lowering its packet flat-rate full data charges, which will now vary according to usage.

London - CBS-owned (NYSE: CBS) social music discovery service Last.fm on Tuesday announced the launch of its free on-demand listening and streaming radio service in Japan. The service will offer over 3.5 million free streaming tracks from Universal Music, IODA, The Orchard, CD Baby, Naxos and others, and will expand to include tracks from local Japanese labels. Last.fm in Japan will also include click-through links to purchase songs from HMV Japan.

Tokyo - Japan has at least temporarily abandoned plans to enact an "iPod tax" that would have provided part of the cost of each device to copyright holders and recording artists, from presumed sales lost to piracy, officials there told the Associated Press.

Cambridge, Mass. - Brightcove, the provider of an Internet TV distribution platform, announced on Thursday the launch of a new Japanese subsidiary, which has received $4.9 million in backing from its parent company along with Dentsu, J-Stream, Transcosmos and Cyber Communications.

Tokyo - Microsoft said this week that it plans to launch the Xbox 360 Elite, an advanced version of the video game console, in Japan on Oct. 11, Reuters reported. The launch comes despite the Xbox 360's lackluster sales in Japan, where it trails sales of rival Wii and PlayStation 3 consoles. The 120GB Xbox 360 Elite console will sell for about $390 in Japan.

Tokyo - Apple has announced that Yahoo Japan will now make the iTunes Store its default digital music store. Apple's iTunes will replace the Sony-affiliated Mora service at Yahoo Japan, which claims 40 million monthly unique visitors. The companies said the deal will provide one-click access to iTunes for Yahoo Japan users.

Tokyo - Japanese wireless carrier KDDI plans this month to launch a service in the U.S. for Japanese residents and visiting tourists, Billboard reported, citing an article in The Asahi Shimbun. The KDDI Mobile service will use leased space on Sprint's wireless network, and offer ringtones and social networking services, in addition to discount calls to Japan. KDDI eventually plans to expand the offering to other Asian U.S. residents, as well as offer services in Europe and other Asian nations.

New York - Mobile music downloads in Japan last year totaled 344.1 million -- up 33% --  compared with just 23 million PC-based music download sales, Billboard.biz reported, citing data from the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ).

Emeryville, Calif. - Catalyst Mobile announced that it partnered with Warner Music Japan to launch the Warner Music Group Rhino Mobile service, a Japanese mobile music portal for NTT DoCoMo subscribers. The Flash-based subscription service includes search, recommendation, preview and download features, and will be priced starting at 315 yen ($2.62) per month.

Tokyo - Nintendo's Wii video game console sold nearly three times as many units in Japan last month as did rival Sony's PlayStation 3 console, Reuters reported, citing data from Japanese game magazine publisher Enterbrain.

Tokyo - Google's YouTube video-sharing service has agreed to post warnings on the Japanese version of its website that ask users not to upload copyrighted materials, Japanese media firms said Tuesday, Reuters reported.

Los Angeles - Gemstar-TV Guide International, a provider of electronic program guides for digital TV services, announced on Thursday that it has signed a license agreement with Japan-based Presentcast. Under the deal, Presentcast -- a joint venture of Japanese broadcasters and advertising agencies including Nippon, Fuji and Asahi -- will be able to use Gemstar's listings on its Dogatch online video portal in Japan.

Los Angeles - Napster announced on Thursday that its Napster Mobile music service has launched with au/KDDI, the second-largest wireless carrier in Japan with over 20 million subscribers. Subscribers will pay about $3 a month for the service, plus additional fees for over-the-air downloads of full-length songs and ringtones. Napster said its mobile service is now available to over 60 million Japanese mobile subscribers, including through NTT DoCoMo's i-Mode.

Mountain View, Calif. - Mobile Content Networks, a developer of mobile search technology, announced that it has raised $10 million in its second round of venture capital financing, led by Meritage Funds.