In Japan, where iPhone 3G is the only officially released iPhone (the first-generation handset didn't reach the Japanese market), iPhone fans are confronted with what seems to be an iPhone 3G crisis.

More exactly, there are far less units on sale than there should have been and, according to Akihabara News, lots of those who want to buy the Apple handset cannot find it in SoftBank's stores.

The only carrier to offer the iPhone 3G in Japan, SoftBank probably thought that the iPhone 3G would only have a moderate success among Japanese users, but it seems the carrier was wrong.

Until now, Apple has not made any statement regarding the depleted iPhone 3G stocks from Japan. However, the Cupertino-based company did announce that the new iPhone was sold until now in more than 1 million units worldwide. According to Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO: "iPhone 3G had a stunning opening weekend. It took 74 days to sell the first one million original iPhones, so the new iPhone 3G is clearly off to a great start around the world."

SoftBank's prices for the iPhone 3G are similar to the ones AT&T (in the US) is selling the handset for. Thus, the 8GB version of the handset is offered for 23,000 yen ($216 or 138 Euros) and the 16GB version for 35,000 yen ($329 or 210 Euros) – both prices requiring a contract agreement for two years and an expensive data plan.

SoftBank and Apple should quickly refresh the iPhone 3G stocks in Japan, unless they want users to turn to other handsets – and they have a great offering to choose from, as the Japanese mobile market is one of the most advanced in the world when it comes to high-end handsets.

For the moment, the new iPhone is available in 21 countries across the globe, although it was announced to be released on July 11 in 23 markets. The two countries that don't have the iPhone 3G yet are France (which will get it on July 17, via Orange) and Singapore (which will get the handset from SingTel, but there's no exact date for the release).