Japanese Xbox 360 owners were shut out of the release of Final Fantasy XIII in Japan where Sony enjoyed a time release exclusive for the PlayStation 3. Apparently, the exclusivity is about to end, with sources in the Land of the Rising Sun claiming that Xbox 360 owners will finally get a Japanese release on December 16th.

North America Xbox 360 owners have had Final Fantasy XIII since was released; and while the move for an exclusive time release in Japan was hailed by PlayStation 3 owners as a big deal, it appears that this will end. The release in Japan is said to be an International version, which might be puzzling to some who would expect that we would see a Japanese specific release.

If correct and the International version is released in Japan, it is said to carry English speech and not the Japanese speech that most Japanese titles normally offer. This could make it a hard sell in Japan; but sources suggest that the decision might have to do with the number of Xbox 360 consoles in the local market and the desire to save money by not offering a Japanese translation for the Xbox 360 platform.

The Xbox 360 still trails both the PlayStation 3 and Wii in the Japanese market. Still, the Xbox 360 has gained some ground based on its offering of a number of exclusive titles that are unavailable for the PS3 and Wii. Microsoft is still making headway in Japan, but it is still going to be tough on the company. An International release of FFXII isn’t going to help matters much if you ask us, but it could be the right business decision for Square-Enix.