Report: Microsoft Slates Xbox 360 Video Marketplace For Japan

Microsoft announced that Xbox 360 owners in Japan will be able to access Xbox Live Marketplace's video store sometime in the coming new year. The service, which allows users to purchase and download television shows and movies to their Xbox 360s, offers videos from content partners such as NBC, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, NBC, and Disney. Microsoft launched the video store in the U.S. in November 2006, and the service is also currently available to Xbox 360 owners in Canada, UK, Ireland, German, and France. Once the Japanese version launches, users will be able to download movies and anime, according to a report from Famitsu translated by game weblog Siliconera. The content will be region-locked however, so those without a Japanese Xbox 360 will likely be unable to access the videos. Microsoft has not yet announced specific titles, content partners, pricing, or a concrete release date for the service.