FACT: The average Japanese uses some form of mass transit to get wherever they need to go, affording them the opportunity to use all the fun features of their i-mode phone. The average American drives to the corner store for a pack of cigarettes, let alone their daily commutes to work/day care/soccer practice, leaving little opportunity to use the intricate features of a phone.
FACT: The average Japanese is very receptive to new technology and will readily adapt if they see some new equipment that will enhance their lives or make them more productive. The average American (aside from the learned colleagues who frequent DSLR) can't be bothered to set the freaking clock on their VCR, much less learn how to read e-mail on their phone. How many of us can hear our mothers saying, "Why would I want to read e-mail/surf the web on my phone, honey? I just wanna make a call."
FACT: The average Japanese (actually, 39 million as of Jan. 2001 and adding 1.3 million/month) subscribes to DoCoMo Keitai. Yes, there are other cell-phone companies, but only DoCoMo has i-mode, which gives the average Japanese access to the Internet. Why is this important? Because the average Japanese doesn't have room in his/her home for a big, honkin' computer AND monitor AND keyboard AND mouse, and the average Japanese can't afford more than one telephone line, to say nothing of the per-minute charges on that line they have to surf the 'Net (unlike the average American). In other words, it's like AOL for Japan, in that it is the only way most people access the Internet. DoCoMo is also a completely packet-switched network, and users are charged in fractions of yen per packet sent, regardless of whether it's voice or data. Which leads me to another....
FACT: The average Japanese chooses DoCoMo Keitai because they like the total features and service, even in the seemingly-never-ending recession they've been mired in for years. The average American only cares about one thing when it comes to cell phones: price. Cell phone companies compete on a voice-service-benefits/plan-cost ratio. This one give unlimited local CALLS, whereas this one gives you unlimited nationwide CALLS, and this other one gives you unlimited nationwide and local CALLS on the weekends. Don't believe me? Ask your friendly neighborhood AT&T, Sprint or Verizon wireless salesperson how many people they've had who bought a phone from them for Web access compared to those who bought because they liked the calling plan they offer.

said by Derek_Wildstar:

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If there was some established American company who would be willing to take that kind of risk in a sluggish economy to gain a foothold, it would certainly be speculative. Because, given the what's happened to the telecom market in the past 18 months, I don't expect you'll find too many venture capitalists willing to bet on that horse anytime soon.

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said by Derek_Wildstar:

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FACT: The average Japanese (actually, 39 million as of Jan. 2001 and adding 1.3 million/month) subscribes to DoCoMo Keitai. Yes, there are other cell-phone companies, but only DoCoMo has i-mode, which gives the average Japanese access to the Internet. Why is this important? Because the average Japanese doesn't have room in his/her home for a big, honkin' computer AND monitor AND keyboard AND mouse, and the average Japanese can't afford more than one telephone line, to say nothing of the per-minute charges on that line they have to surf the 'Net (unlike the average American). In other words, it's like AOL for Japan, in that it is the only way most people access the Internet. DoCoMo is also a completely packet-switched network, and users are charged in fractions of yen per packet sent, regardless of whether it's voice or data.

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