Internet users in Japan topped 90 million at the end of 2008, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications reported earlier this month. That means three out of four Japanese are communicating, shopping, reading or hanging out on the Internet. With Japan's advanced broadband and fiber-optic connections, the Internet is running at speeds and expanding to an extent unimaginable even a decade ago. Using the Internet might be the one thing that most Japanese have in common!

With more people here using the Internet than in all of Africa, the Internet has become a defining characteristic of Japanese society and economy. Only China and the United States have more total users. Yet, as with all technological advances, the impact on the lives, minds and feelings must be weighed and considered. The question remains whether the Internet has made all these 90 million people happier, better or more prosperous.

Japan' high literacy rate suggests that most of the millions are probably spending time reading more, and more widely, on the Internet. That information flow must be welcome for most Japanese. It is quick, confidential and cheap. Reading may not make everyone happier, but it seems a more substantial activity than shopping. Online retail, which has exploded in recent years, may help the economy and save people time, but it encourages a materialist outlook at a level up from the present.