Japanese language and computers: Difference between revisions

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==Character encodings==

There are several standard methods to [[character encoding|encode]] Japanese characters for use on a computer, including [[JIS encoding|JIS]], [[Shift-JIS]], [[Extended Unix Code|EUC]], and [[Unicode]]. While mapping the set of [[kana]] is a simple matter, [[kanji]] has proven more difficult. Despite efforts, none of the encoding schemes have become the de facto standard, and multiple encoding standards were in use by the 2000s. As of 2017, the share of [[UTF-8]] traffic on the Internet has expanded to over 90 % worldwide, and only 1.2% was for using Shift-JIS and EUC. Yet, a few popular websites including [[2channel]] and [[kakaku.com]] are still using Shift-JIS.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://internet.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/yajiuma/1086378.html|title=【やじうまWatch】 ウェブサイトにおける文字コードの割合、UTF-8が90％超え。Shift_JISやEUC-JPは？ - INTERNET Watch|date=2017-10-17|website=INTERNET Watch|access-date=2019-05-11}}</ref>

Until 2000s, most Japanese [[email]]s were in [[ISO-2022-JP]] ("JIS encoding") and [[web page]]s in [[Shift-JIS]] and mobile phones in Japan usually used some form of [[Extended Unix Code]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ash.jp/code/code.htm|title=文字コードについて|date=2002|publisher=ASH Corporation|access-date=2019-05-14}}</ref> If a program fails to determine the encoding scheme employed, it can cause {{Nihongo3|"misconverted garbled/garbage characters"|文字化け|''[[mojibake]]''|literally "transformed characters"}} and thus unreadable text on computers.

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[[QuarkXPress]] was the most popular DTP software in Japan in 1990s, even it had a long development cycle. However, due to lacking support for downward text, it was surpassed by [[Adobe InDesign]] which had strong support for downward text through several updates.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.edit-u.com/conte/dtp04.html|title=DTPって何よ（4） ［編集って何よ］|last=エディット-U|access-date=2019-05-14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.mynavi.jp/article/QuarkXPress_top10-3/|title=アンチQuarkユーザーが気になるQuarkXPress 8の機能トップ10(3) 縦書きの組版が面倒だったけどどうなのよ?|date=2008-07-04|website=MyNavi News|access-date=2019-05-14}}</ref>

At present,{{when|date=March 2019}} handling of downward text is incomplete. For example, [[HTML]] has no support for ''tategaki'' and Japanese users must use HTML tables to simulate it. However, [[Cascading Style Sheets|CSS]] level 3 includes a property "<code>writing-mode</code>" which can render ''tategaki'' when given the value "<code>vertical-rl</code>" (i.e. top to bottom, right to left). Word processors and [[Desktop publishing|DTP]] software{{which|date=August 2025}} have more complete support for it.

== Historical development ==

The lack of proper Japanese character support on computers limited the influence of large American firms in the Japanese market during the 1980s. Japan, which had been the world's second largest market for computers after the [[United States]] at the time, was dominated by domestic hardware and software makers such as [[NEC]] and [[Fujitsu]].<ref>http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/JPNcomputers/PAC-111.PDF {{Bare URL PDF|date=July 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/19/business/company-news-compaq-set-to-invade-japan-market.html | title=COMPANY NEWS; Compaq Set to Invade Japan Market | work=The New York Times | date=19 July 1991 | last1=Sanger | first1=David E. }}</ref> [[Microsoft Windows 3.1]] offered improved Japanese language support which played a part in reducing the grip of domestic PC makers throughout the 1990s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Windows 95 launches in Japan - UPI Archives |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1995/11/23/Windows-95-launches-in-Japan/7028817102800/ |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=UPI |language=en}}</ref>

== See also ==

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*[[Korean language and computers]]

*[[Vietnamese language and computers]]

*[[Ghost characters]] - Erroneous kanji

==References==