Following a summer that saw it become the first magazine to be distributed by iTunes, Fader today announced the launch of a Japanese version of its bimonthly magazine. The debut Japan issue, a compilation of the magazine's 2006 features, licensing deal with Blues Interaction, Inc., a Japanese publishing company.

Future issues will contain a combination of past articles and original features on Japanese artists. While its a little weird for a magazine that prides itself on "emerging music and culture" would dip into the past — how relevant is a March feature on, say, Cat Power in October? — it sounds like a first step in a broader expansion. Publisher Andy Cohn says the magazine is being "aggressive" in expansion plans and "will be making announcements in the near future."

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