Apple is in negotiations with NTT DoCoMo, the top mobile phone carrier in Japan, but the two sides are unable to reach a subscriber revenue agreement.  Japan has nearly 100 million mobile phone subscribers and DoCoMo controls a bit more than 50 percent of the market.

Apple claimed it would launch the iPhone in Asian nations during 2008, but did not offer any further details.  A successful launch on the competitive and lucrative Japanese mobile market could temporarily silence all iPhone critics.

Since the current iPhone wouldn't work in Japan, a possible phone launch would include the 3G iPhone, which the AT&T CEO promised will be available in the U.S. sometime next year.

DoCoMo President Masao Nakamura held a meeting with Apple CEO Steve Jobs in San Francisco in early December, with a possible iPhone launch in Japan being the most important topic of discussion. If a deal between Apple and DoCoMo cannot be reached in a timely matter, it is possible Softbank Mobile may become the likely candidate for Apple to sign with.

Apple has deals with AT&T in America, O2 in the United Kingdom, T-Mobile in Germany and Orange Wireless in France.  Apple and China Mobile are negotiating contract issues to offer the service in China - but China Mobile also has problems with revenue sharing numbers provided by Apple.

The iPhone has had relatively good sales, but some Wall Street analysts are still not convinced of the iPhone's dominance in the cell phone market.