The FT has a piece today that reminds me of that other national attempt to compete with Google (that’d be France and Germany, though I understand Germany pulled out). From it:
Tokyo, alarmed by the global dominance of Google and other foreign internet services, is spearheading a project to try to seize the lead in new search technologies for electronic devices.
The push has been sparked by concerns in Japan that the country’s pre-eminence in consumer electronics has faded and value in the technology industry is moving away from hardware.