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Microsoft will reportedly launch Surface tablet in Japan

The Windows tablet may make its debut in Japan next month, according to a report from the Nikkei news service.

Microsoft's Surface RT tablet could be headed for Japan.

Microsoft's Surface tablet may surface in Japan as early as next month, according to a story from the Nikkei news service, as reported by the Wall Street Journal's MarketWatch.

Microsoft is expected to sell the Surface RT edition to Japanese consumers. That version can run certain desktop applications, such as Microsoft Office RT and Internet Explorer 10, but otherwise is restricted to Windows store apps.

The 32GB Surface RT tablet starts at $499 in the U.S. That same model may sport a price tag in Japan of around 50,000 yen ($531).

Surface has been wending its way around the world. The RT version debuted last October in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., France, Germany, Hong Kong, Australia, and China. On February 14, the RT tablet went on sale in 13 additional countries throughout Europe, including Austria, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Earlier this month Microsoft unveiled Surface Pro, which runs the full flavor of Windows 8 and can handle existing desktop applications.

Microsoft was mum about any plans to offer the RT tablet anywhere else. A spokeswoman for the company sent CNET the following statement:

"The worldwide customer response to Surface has been exciting and humbling to see. In order to meet customer demand and retailer expectations, we are taking a phased approach to the availability of Surface. With regard to additional markets, we have nothing further to share at this time."