By Stephen Windwalker
Originally posted to Kindle Nation Daily 5.31.2010
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Potentially big news for international readers here.
Although Amazon has yet to make an announcement about it, the Kindle for PC and Kindle for Mac apps now render the Japanese language and alphabet. And thanks to an email that I received overnight from Mr. Toru Suzuki with my Japanese publisher Nikkei Business Publications, I’m happy to announce that one of the first Japanese language texts available to read with the Kindle for PC and Kindle for Mac apps is a lengthy free excerpt from the Japanese translation of my bestselling Kindle guide.
So, that’s exciting for me, but far more exciting for the growth of a worldwide Kindle Revolution is the possibility that Amazon might soon open up the Kindle publishing platform to Japanese authors and publishers as it has already done with English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian. There have been widespread reports that Amazon has been in talks with Japanese publishers about the launch of a Japanese Kindle, but now it is obvious that there’s no need to wait until Amazon makes the Kindle device itself ready for the Japanese language and alphabet. Ebook retailers could begin selling Kindle-compatible ebooks now to be read with the Kindle for PC and Kindle for Mac apps.
The page includes links and support for reading the excerpt with the Kindle for PC and Kindle for Mac apps as well as with Mobipocket Reader and Calibre. And of course an Amazon.co.jp link to purchase the paperback translation, which was released last week and is already in its second printing, is also provided.
May this be a small sign of good things to come for Kindle fans in Japan and around the world!
