Recochoku, a digital content aggregator owned by major Japanese labels, debuted a smartphone-based streaming service called RecoChoku Best on Tuesday. It's due to become available on PCs this summer.
It's one more sign the Japanese music business is abandoning its Galapagos-like isolation and is entering the music-streaming mainstream.
Industry insiders say major international streaming services Spotify and Rdio, which have been in talks with local rights-holders since last year, will likely launch in Japan sometime in the next few months.