Asiajin is reporting that Softbank Mobile has decided to release a 1-seg television tuner for the iPhone in Japan. According to the post, the 80 gram external device will hit the market sometime in mid-December and will double as a battery lifetime extender. Apparently a retail price has not yet been announced.

As Asiajin points out, Softbank has faced three core problems with the rollout of the iPhone in Japan: 1) the short battery life, 2) the lack of 1-seg, and 3) the lack of emoji characters.

Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son believes that these three issues have now been addressed, as the latest iPhone firmware update included support for emoji characters. While that update may take care of the emoji obstacle, an external 1-seg tuner that doubles as a battery extender does not strike me as the sort of elegant solution that Apple is famous for.

Besides, there’s still no place for a cellphone strap…

For pictures of the device, click on through to the post at Asiajin.