Steve Jobs has apparently been meeting with folks at NTT DoCoMo to discuss the prospect of launching the iPhone in Japan with DoCoMo's help.

"Apple has also been talking to Japan's No. 3 operator, SoftBank," according to the Wall Street Journal. "Executives from both NTT and SoftBank have also made multiple trips to Apple's Cupertino, California, headquarters."

"Two things are certain," writes the Motley Fool's Dave Mock. "First, the iPhone will have far more competition in Japan than it did in the U.S. Second, Apple will have to tailor the iPhone for the Japanese market. Japanese carriers will likely demand significant improvements - foremost being a high-speed, 3G version of the phone - as it would be an embarrassment to offer an older generation of technology there."

More here from Forbes ... more here from Computerworld ... more here from BBC News ... more here from Wired ... and more here from TUAW.