P. M. BRIEFING : Japan Picks Motorola Technology

The government has chosen voice-coder technology manufactured by Motorola Inc. as Japan’s national standard for new-generation digital cellular phones, officials said today.

Motorola, which has long fought to increase its foothold in the Japanese market, was selected from among eight Japanese and foreign companies.

The decision, the first to allow Motorola technology to be used nationwide, could pave the way for other foreign electronics companies in the Japanese market, said an official at the mobile phone division of the Post and Telecommunications Ministry.

The ministry official said the action showed the Japanese market is now open to foreign competitors. “The result also proved the excellence of the U.S. technology,” he said.

“Anybody, regardless of whether Japanese or foreign, can sell their products here only if the quality is high. It’s up to how much effort each company will make,” he said.