Tech In Asia reports that, after months of delays, Japanese news sources have reported Amazon is soon to release the Kindle in Japan. This marks the fourth time such reports have surfaced in the last few months. This time, the anticipated date is by the end of the year. A previous prediction had set the device’s debut right about now.

It seems that negotiations with Japanese publishers have been going slowly, though several major and about 40 minor Japanese publishers are reported to have signed on so far. Perhaps they’ve learned from watching Amazon’s history with publishers in the American and European markets. Plus, of course, the Japanese e-book industry has been remarkably slow to take off in general for a country so crazy about its gadgets. Time will tell whether Japanese e-book fans are destined for disappointment yet again. I suspect if I were one of them, I’d believe the Kindle was really coming only when I saw it.

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