A driver in Japan has been arrested following a hit-and-run incident where he has admitted to watching his in-car TV at the time. Many Japanese satellite navigation GPS map systems also allow video to be shown on their high-quality screens and this is becoming an increasing problem in Japan because of the low-cost and proliferation of these systems.

The driver hit a 44 year old salaryman last weekend just outside of Tokyo, in Tachikawa-shi. Police have now said the driver told them he was moving along at around 80 km/h while fixated on the small television screen. Not concentrating on the road, he was shocked to hear a crashing sound upon impact, and then panicked and sped off.

In-car GPS mapping systems are a necessary part of driving in Japan because the confusing street layouts can require a map in order to locate specific street addresses. Otherwise drivers would need to stop and enquire at local police stations (koban) or check detailed locality maps in order to find their destination. In a big city like Tokyo maps are especially important, and many Japanese cell phones (keitai) are now featuring built in GPS maps of Japan too.

While Japan is usually a front-runner in mobile communication technology, there is one particular area that it has been lagging behind most other countries - mobile number portability.

Previously, when changing carriers it was impossible to keep the same phone number but it has recently been announced that from November 1st 2006 users will be able to switch mobile providers and still keep their old number.

A small charge will be incurred, possibly in the range of a few thousand yen (about USD$30) and it will even work for online sign-ups. It is expected the transfers would take a day to be processed.