OhmyNews received investment funds of US$10 million from Softbank, led by CEO Masayoshi Son, last February. It established a branch in Tokyo and finally launched OhmyNews Japan, utilizing $5 million of these funds. OhmyNews Japan has been recruiting citizen reporters since last month. Until now, approximately 1,000 citizen reporters have joined OhmyNews Japan. Shuntaro Torigoe (66), a well-known journalist in Japan who previously worked with the Mainichi Daily newspaper, was appointed as the chief editor of OhmyNews Japan. The Japan website currently has 22 employees, including 10 staff reporters. The first issue of OhmyNews published yesterday with about 20 articles written by citizen reporters.

Considering the SoftBank JV (telco) partner and success to date in Korea, and based on its mobile functionality, we were surprised to learn in early August that there would be no wireless-targeted version on roll-out in Japan. See Mayoshi Son’s debut posting here.

Related posts:

1. OhMyNews Gears Up in Japan
2. SoftBank to Restructure Telco Debt
3. Motorola Debuts 3G Smartphone in Japan
4. Vertu Handsets Headed for Japan
5. Where’s Vodafone Japan’s ex-CEO?

Some sage advise when entering new turf; Stop, Look and Listen.. it’s also good to secure a local guide. Japan is the cradle of mobile civilization – we have been dedicated to this space since 2001 – trust our archives here offer some useful material.

Domestic activities continue to set the pace, and sharp players are looking at global markets. We have hard-earned industry expertise and trusted network of contacts with access to advanced intell. and potential deal flow. Need a lift.. Ok, buckle-up!