Apple has announced that movies are now available on the iTunes Store in Japan. According to the release, over 1,000 films are now available to rent or buy in high definition and standard definition from a variety of international film studios including 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Disney, Warner Bros., Universal, and Japanese studios such as Asmik Ace Entertainment, Fuji TV, Kadakowa Pictures, Nikkatsu, Shochiku Company Limited and Toei Company Limited. Customers have up to 30 days to start watching their movie, and 48 hours to finish it once a movie has been started. iTunes HD movie purchases in Japan start at ¥2,000 for catalog titles and recent releases and ¥2,500 for new releases, while SD versions are priced at ¥1,000 for catalog titles, ¥1,500 for recent releases and ¥2,000 for new releases. iTunes HD Movie Rentals start at ¥300 for library title rentals and ¥500 for new releases, and SD versions start at ¥200 for library title rentals and ¥400 for new releases. In addition to the movie additions, the second-generation Apple TV is now available in Japan, and sells for ¥8,800, or roughly $107.
Beyond Japan, SetteB.IT reports that the iTunes Stores in Austria, Italy, Spain and Switzerland have been updated and are ready for movie sales and rentals, although no official announcement regarding those countries has yet been made.
