China surpasses Japan as PC market - The pulse: the word on the street from the heart of Tokyo - Brief Article

Japan, Inc., March, 2003

... IN BRIEF: China was the world's second biggest market for personal computers in the last half of 2002, according to International Data Corp. China jumped ahead of Japan, which held the No. 2 spot behind the US for the first half of last year. In the last six months of 2002, 6.3 million PCs were shipped in China and 5.7 million were shipped in Japan.

... COMMENTARY: It was just a matter of time--China became the world's largest market for cellphones in 2002 as well. But China's rise indicates a new stage for Japan. The graying, more niche-oriented Japan is likely to often be overlooked as China's IT infrastructure grows by leaps and bounds.