As well as being one of the largest mobile game markets by revenue, Japan is currently also one of the most dynamic.
It's a good opportunity, then, for PocketGamer.biz to hook up with Indie Navi, a site which is dedicated to the coverage of Japanese mobile and indie development.
Set up by two enthusiastic and experienced translators, you can find out more about the services they offer here or email info (at] indienavi.com.
Otherwise, let's get on with the show - the five most interesting stories from the Japanese mobile games industry.
CyberAgent releases financial results
CyberAgent (TYO:4751) realized increased overall sales and operating profits, though its net profit of 2 billion yen (around $20 million) a 36.4 percent decrease from the same period one year prior. Overall this is regarded as a turnaround for the company, which CyberAgent credits to the release of the smartphone version of its Ameba SNS and games platform.
CyberAgent's social applications and native applications were also profitable, yielding sales of 14.7 billion yen ($140 million) - a 6.6 percent decrease from the same period in the previous year - and operating profits of 2.1 billion yen ($20 million) - a 120.5 percent increase.
DQM Super Light tops 1 million downloads in four days
Square Enix Holdings' (TYO:9684) share price reached its maximum allowed single-day gain of 500 yen per share to finish 27 January trading at a share price of 2,581 yen.
The continued growth in share price is in response to news that the company's smartphone title Dragon Quest Monsters Super Light exceeded a million downloads in the space of only four days.
As of today (31 January), Super Light is third in sales in the games category of the Japanese App Store, and sixth on Google Play.
Your guide to 100 Turn Hero
The latest RPG-inspired gem from indie genius Kotaro Yoshida is available on iOS and is absolutely not to be missed.
You don't need to be able to read Japanese to have a blast with this fine-tuned iOS action title, but our setup guide and play tips will get you playing without a hitch.
Death to all Snip-Snap Crabs!
Drecom releases Furubokko Heroes
Drecom's (TYO:3793) share price jumped 70,000 yen on the 27 January to a total of 375,000 yen on the news that its iOS release Furubokko Heroes had surpassed 350,000 pre-registrations. It also announced the spring release for the One Piece smartphone title that Drecom is developing jointly with Bandai Namco.
Promising simple and satisfying gesture-based controls, Furubokko Heroes was voted to Social Game Info's list of the top 20 titles to look out for in 2014.
Treasure Cruise will be a role-playing title allowing users to build teams of One Piece foes and protagonists alike. In a testament to One Piece's ongoing popularity, the announcement of a release time frame contributed to share price increases for both Drecom and Bandai Namco.
Colopl reveals its earnings up four-fold
Colopl (TYO:3668) has been the talk of the mobile industry in Japan of late, and with earnings like those in its most recent investor report, it's easy to see why.
Colopl's earnings for the October-December period - its Q1 - were 11 billion yen (around $110 million), a fourfold increase from the same period a year prior and a 70 percent increase to just the quarter before. Similarly, its operating profits were 5.6 times that of the same quarter one year ago.
President Naruatsu Baba credited much of the company's success with its successful television advertising campaigns for its three tent pole titles: Quiz RPG: the World of Mystic Wiz, Pro Baseball, and Ao no Segokushi.
Baba was also keen to point out how successful the company's plan of pre-emptively booking television spots based on analysis and estimates had been in quickly establishing Ao no Sengokushi as a tent pole title.
