The powerful yet affordable Google Nexus 7 tablet is now official in the land of the rising sun, where Google chairman Eric Schmidt himself was present for the launch of the device. The Nexus 7 is available from the Play Store in Japan for a price of ¥19,800 (about $254) for the 16GB variant, as well as from local retailers such as Bic Camera, Yodobashi Camera, and Joshin.

Along with the Nexus 7, the Google Play Books service was also launched in the country with a good starting collection of Japanese works, which indicates that Google is taking the Japanese market quite seriously, and is looking to improve their presence in more markets outside the US.

The Nexus 7, with its quad-core Tegra 3 processor, 1GB RAM, 7-inch 1280×800 display, 1.3MP front camera, and 4,325 mAh, is Google’s flagship Android 4.1. Jelly Bean device, so its availability in as many markets as possible certainly isn’t going to hurt Google.

Here’s to the Nexus 7 becoming available in more and more countries in the future.