From kana to kanji: word processing in Japan

摘要

The development of word processing in Japan and the special problems involved in dealing with Japanese characters are described. These included the need to compile word lists as well as statistical surveys of newspapers, business documents, and secondary school textbooks to determine the frequency of word use, working with unlimited numbers of words and characters possible, and the large memory required by the complex software used. The prospects of voice-input processors are discussed.