Unlike prior partner programs at the company, the TurboLINKS partner program is being offered to companies outside of Japan. While Turbolinux is arguably the dominant Japanese version of Linux, there are obviously companies who are from outside of Japan that make hardware (servers, desktops, and laptops as well as other embedded devices) that they would like to sell into the Japanese market, and they need operating systems to do that. Linux can be a key differentiator.
Similarly, companies who want to break into the Japanese market have a much more limited set of platforms on which they can support their applications. And because Turbolinux supports Chinese as well as Japanese, the partner initiative can be a stepping stone into the Chinese market as well. The new partner program is in beta right now, and will be available in the fourth quarter of this year.
