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“Culture,” Computer Literacy, and the Media 275

into the computer, but the small number of distinct syllables in the
Japanese language makes it difficult for the computer to distinguish
among the large number of words and syllables with the same pro-
nunciation (Moffett 1998).
Another problem with the spread of the Internet and CMC in
Japan is the cost of on-line services and local telephone calls. On-line
services are not excessively expensive, but local telephone charges
add up quickly. For many Japanese, going on-line adds to monthly
expenses at a time of significant economic weakness. The perception
of high cost makes it difficult for Japanese to go on-line without wor-
rying about telephone charges (Kotkin 1999). Thus, of those who use
a computer at home, only 34.6% of Japanese respondents in the No-
mura survey said that they are connected to a network, whereas
63.4% in the United States, and 43.8% in Korea were connected to a
network. One way around the problem would be to go on-line at
work or school, but only 9.4% of Japanese respondents in the No-
mura survey said that they were connected to a network. This con-
trasts with 27.8% in the United States and 10.2% in Korea. The low
figure for on-line connections at work or school in Japan indicates
that employers do not have the money to invest in computers or that
they do not value networks in the workplace (Kunii 1998). In both
countries, the size and financial stability of the organization con-
cerned has a direct influence on the ability to invest in networks.

Table 3
Nomura Survey on Keyboard Literacy and
Length of Computer Use
Typing Proficiency
Japan Korea US
Fast without Looking 6.2% 16.8% 29.8%
Fast but Look 17.5% 14.8% 24.6%
Slow and Look 39.2% 26.2% 31.8%
Barely Use 36.7% 42.2% 11.4%

Length of Computer Use
Japan Korea US
More than 2 Years 20.6% 12.2% 42.0%
2-4 Years 11.5% 12.4% 16.8%
Less than 2 Years 16.0% 26.4% 17.8%
Never Used 50.8% 49.0% 21.8%
Note: The above figures exclude “none-of-above” responses.