The new Ustream.jp is a fully translated version of the service. It comes with all of Ustream's features, including social stream chat. The content and featured shows are focused on Japanese users, providing them a customized experience.
"The launch of Ustream's Japanese website is the first of many developments to grow Ustream's worldwide presence specifically in Asia Pacific," Ustream CEO John Ham told us in an e-mail. "It is our first-ever site-wide language translation and we are pleased with the response. With our Series B fundraising contribution from Softbank less than two months ago, we are moving expeditiously to fuel our growth. We've seen incredible traction in Japan and we expect this to continue as we further develop our offerings there."
Interestingly enough, the initial launch announcement was made by SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, not by Ustream. Softbank invested invested $75 million into Ustream earlier this year. Part of the rationale behind the rather large investment was that SoftBank believes that there is a huge opportunity for live video in Asia. Clearly the Ustream team is moving quickly to seize those perceived opportunities.