NTT DoCoMo, the top mobile phone operator in Japan, has teamed up with Tower Records Japan. Under the deal, DoCoMo has bought 42 percent of the record store chain, which operates separately from Tower Records in the U.S.

Subscribers will now be able to receive music news, information on artists and special offers in the stores. More significantly, though, the stores will be test sites for DoCoMo’s wallet phones. Subscribers will be able to pay for their purchases using their mobile phones instead of cash.

In turn, Tower Records Japan will look at opportunities to capitalize on the DoCoMo network to create new means for customers to purchase music. “We can apply our retail business expertise to music distribution (through mobile phones) which we would like to link with our e-commerce business too,” said Hiroyuki Fushitani, President of Tower Records Japan.