Yes that is the one we always sell them as an alternative but apparently the co.jp carries more status. Definitely not $6k's worth of status though
On a connected subject, it will be interesting to see what happens to CentralNic's portfolio, as ccTLD's become more available. One of their main selling points used to be the difficulty in getting the 'proper' ccTLD. How many people still buy the ru.com not knowing they can get the .ru?
I know they are really pushing the IDN line though now and have a very impressive range on that front.