Due to the worldwide appeal of Japanese pop music and video games, MySpace said it will increase the number of artists by more than double on its Japanese pages to get more clicks globally, Reuters reported Monday.

New sign-ups and page views are slowing in Japan, where people are opting for rival networking services such as mixi Inc. MySpace Japan, which launched two years ago, however, plans to buck the trend by expanding the number of sales artists can make on its site.

"Until now, Japanese artists catered primarily to the home market, but the home market is no longer big enough. Demand for Japanese music and games are strong abroad, and we are now uniquely positioned to clear barriers posed by language," MySpace Japan CEO Atsushi Taira told Reuters.

According to a Synovate study, the popularity of social networking sites in Japan is decreasing, as they are usually used to reinforce existing friendships, instead of expanding networks, Reuters reported.

The number of artists that have registered with the Japanese version of MySpace has doubled over last six months to about 90,000 people, Taira said.

Taira is confident that the site can easily double that next year, as more artists sell their music and T-shirts on MySpace, he said. "Once we have a large group of artists using MySpace, the content will win more fans and other users," Reuters reported.

MySpace recently worked with music labels such as Sony BMG Music, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, to give the site's users the ability to stream and purchase music, ringtones and concert tickets. It will make the service available in Japanese next year, according to Reuters.