Following several price cuts, the introduction of new models and the victory over HD-DVD, Blu-ray recorders finally seem to get a foothold in the Japanese market.

According to research company Gfk Marketing Services, the market share of Blu-ray recorders in this country jumped from 18% in November last year to 29% for April 2008. Between April 28th to May 18th, the figure even rose to 32%.

In an Internet survey conducted among over 14,000 Japanese consumers in March, 81% said they plan to buy a Blu-ray recorder in the future.

The cheapest Blu-ray recorder available at major Japanese electronics retailers at the moment is the Sharp Aquos BD-AV1 which is sold for about $650. Priced at $880, the best-selling model at Amazon Japan is the Panasonic DMR BR-500 with a 250 GB HDD (pictured).