A nation in recession, Japan apparently bit its gaming purse tight to weather the economic storm. While the market was able to rack up ¥ 582.61 billion in 2008, it's still 15% down from 2007, with both the hardware and software sales experiencing their own drops.

Hardware sales took a harder fall, with sales dropping 23.5% (¥ 250.5 billion) compared to software which only declined 7.9% (¥ 332 billion). Even with the strong numbers we see regularly from Media Create, sales did not quite match up to 2007, when patronage for pricey gaming goods continued to mellow down.

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More on the Japanese gaming market:

• Media Create report from December 1 to 7, DSi and Wii on top
• Media Create report from November 24 to 30 - PS3 back in the game
• DSi sells over 500,000 units in Japan