Japan’s Best Sellers Go Cellular
TOKYO — Until recently, cell phone novels — composed on phone keypads by young women wielding dexterous thumbs and read by fans on their tiny screens — had been dismissed in Japan as a subgenre unworthy of the country that gave the world its first novel, The Tale of Genji, a millennium ago. Then last month, the year-end best seller tally showed that cell phone novels, republished in book form, have not only infiltrated the mainstream, but have come to dominate it.
Of last year’s 10 best-selling novels, five were originally cell phone novels, mostly love stories written in the short sentences characteristic of text messaging, but containing little of the plot or character development found in traditional novels. What is more, the top three spots were occupied by first-time cell phone novelists, touching off debates in the news media and blogosphere.
Given the cell phone novels’ domination of the mainstream, critics no longer dismiss them, though some say they should be classified with comic books or popular music.
— The New York Times
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Japanese Envy India’s Schools
MITAKA, Japan — Many Japanese are feeling a sense of insecurity about the nation’s schools, which once turned out students who consistently ranked at the top of international tests. That is no longer true, which is why many people here are looking for lessons from India, the country the Japanese see as the world’s ascendant education superpower.
Bookstores are filled with titles like Extreme Indian Arithmetic Drills and The Unknown Secrets of the Indians. Japan’s few Indian international schools are reporting a surge in applications from Japanese families.
Recently, a national cry of alarm greeted the announcement that in a survey of math skills, Japan had fallen from first place in 2000 to 10th place, behind Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea. From second in science in 2000, Japan dropped to sixth place.
— The New York Times
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Chinese Internet Users Number 210 Million
China’s Internet population has soared to 210 million people, a figure that may soon surpass the U.S. online community this year to become the world’s largest.
Experts say China is about 5 million behind the United States online. China’s online population grew 53% since last year.
One difference between Chinese and American users is that one-third of Chinese Internet users surf at cyber cafes if they are unable to afford a computer at home. Ninety-three percent of U.S. Internet users have access at home.
Another difference is censorship. Although the Chinese government promotes Internet use for education and business, it tries to block the public from seeing material it deems pornographic or critical of Communist rule. Political dissidents also run the risk of imprisonment if they post politically sensitive content online.
More Chinese are also beginning to access the Internet through mobile devices. The increasing number of Chinese users will lead to growing demand for online Mandarin content.