It seems that Value Domain the cheapest domain service offering dot jp to us for only 640 yen each (roughly $6 way back before the dollar fell) has been bought & has become a subsidiary of GMO. GMO has bought up most of the independent domain services in Japan.
Currently with Value Domain I can still renew my dot jps for 640 yen that I registered before the price change. No speculation that it will change but you never know.
The guys from WIXI also had a very successful domain company that GMO bought years back.
The market looks good for the next few years. The ad industry is doing well. The yen is strong. We finally have a domain selling platform & parking service.