Japan's mobile business booming

While Square's plan to put Final Fantasy XIII on mobile phones may have left some scratching their heads, the decision makes perfect sense in Japan. According to the Nikkei Business Publications tech site Tech On, the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication reports that the mobile business market has grown to 722.4 billion yen ($6.1 billion)--a 39 percent increase--in just the last year.

The surge in revenue was led by mobile content sales, which grew 21 percent, posting 315 billion yen ($2.7 billion) in sales. Ringtone melodies and real-music ringtones led the way, combining for 161 billion yen ($1.4 billion) in sales. Japanese mobile gaming has seen a slow but steady increase, more than doubling over the past several years to 58.9 billion yen ($503.6 million).