Myspace going to Japan, Can it compete with MIXI?

According to a WSj article, News Corp., moving to take advantage of growing international traffic to its MySpace Web site, confirmed plans for a joint venture with Softbank Corp. to operate a Japanese version of the popular social-networking site.

The joint venture follows News Corp.'s creation in recent months of local versions of MySpace in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, Germany and France. These customized sites have helped increase MySpace's international traffic sixfold to 26.4 million unique visitors in the past year, according to September data from comScore Media Metrix.
But it might meet some resistance from Japanese social networking site, MIXI. Mixi is built with secular circles of friends who are only known to depending on what user chose to share.
Any user on MIXI is visible universally, but what is seen is also chosen by the user. For an example, you may allow a friend of yours to see your space, while denying all friends of the chosen friend. Or you may chose some of her or his into your circle if you know them as well.
So it is debatable if the open nature of Myspace would appeal to Japanese users. There always will be rebels and early tasters. But they might retreat to secular MIXI spaces.

Links;
WSJ myspace in Japan
MIXI Japanese Social Network

Tags: myspace, MIXI, Social networking, social networks